Heaven Sent
by ELIE
Summary: [AU] Sakura is offered a second life... but at what price?
1. Angels

Standard Disclaimer: All characters mentioned in this fanfiction belong to their rightful owners, not me.

Heaven Sent 

Chapter 1: Angels

A rude, loud knock woke Kinomoto Sakura up from her deep sleep. The 25-year-old moaned in her sleep, as if to chase away the unwelcomed visitor and his irritating knocking. She buried her brunette head under the pillow to shut the noise up.

But the knocking did not stop.

Even though Sakura was usually a bright and cheerful person, waking her up early in the morning was never really a known method to bring out her happy and outgoing personality. Getting out of her small, mussed up bed, Sakura straightened her yellow pajamas as well as her short brown locks. She rubbed her eyes and placed her hand on the cold doorknob. In her mind, she was already practicing her lines to say to this person. She would tell him—or her—to go away for the time being and let her go back to her peaceful sleep.

And her wonderful dream. Wait, she wouldn't tell him that. That would stray from the point.

"Good morning, Ms. Kinomoto," the face of old Mrs. Sawada greeted her and a smell of freshly baked cookies filled the air. All of the sudden, Sakura's planned speech was forgotten. She stood there like a gaping idiot or in milder words, a goldfish in a goldfish bowl.

"Good morning, Mrs. Sawada," Sakura smiled sweetly. She could never banish the friendly old lady away from her doorstep. For one, she owned the place where she was staying. For another, she was her first ever friend here and she was really nice for a landlady. Today, the old landlady decided to put on a sunny yellow dress, which complemented her hazel brown eyes. Compared to her attire, Sakura looked like a wilted flower. The younger woman had the sudden urge to excuse herself and change into a more presentable outfit. "What brings you here this early in the morning?"

"Oh, I just wanted to give you these cookies. I baked a lot of them and I hate to see them go to waste." The old lady's face crinkled into a warm smile. She handed Sakura a plate of yummy, delicious carriers of calories.

"Why, thank you!" Sakura smiled back as she took the plate from Mrs. Sawada.

"That's all, dear. Merry Christmas to you." That was the last thing she said before she left.

ooOOoo

It was amazing how that simple sentence sent our brunette heroine to take a bath—a quick one, at that—and hop into the first taxi she saw to go to the nearest mall. Well, okay maybe the second taxi. The first time she hopped in a taxi she realized she wasn't even in a taxi.

"Darn it!" the girl cursed herself once she was seated inside a real taxi. "I totally forgot that I was supposed to buy everyone's presents today! I overslept!!" Sakura raised her hand and ran it through her still-wet brown tresses. She took out her Christmas list—the back of a supermarket receipt—and studied it. Sakura always had a lot of friends but she knew that with the kind of money she was earning, giving each of them presents would probably send her to a cardboard box for a house in the sidewalk with an empty can of old soup to earn money. The thought made the girl shudder.

Traffic was heavy and it was no doubt that Sakura will not reach the mall as early as she wanted to. To pass the time, she studied her "Christmas list". Of course, on top of her list was the name she had gotten used to almost all her life.

_Tomoyo Daidouji_

Tomoyo was known for being an excellent singer, a good cook and a superb friend. She was Sakura's best friend since the creation of man and Sakura doubts that would ever change. The cherry blossom already had the habit of running to Tomoyo every time she has a problem and she always did have this habit of talking to Tomoyo about everything that happened to her during the day. To summarize Tomoyo's role in Sakura's life, she was a diary, a pillow and a boom box, all in one. And Sakura loved her for that.

Next to Tomoyo's name was…

_Eriol Hiirigizawa_

That was no surprise. No lovesick girl would ever forget to give her boyfriend a gift for Christmas. The thought made Sakura blush. She and Eriol have been going out for three months now and Sakura enjoyed witty conversations with him, although most of the time it was Eriol who was talking, as well as the unexpected yet romantic moments that passed between them. Eriol was strong, independent yet gentle and sensitive at the same time. Sakura learned to appreciate that in him. He was never the type to forget and his creative ideas always make Sakura feel loved. Except for the time that he thought her cousin was a guy and actually gave him condoms for his birthday gift… cough Enough about that. Speaking of Eriol, they were supposed to meet for lunch today. The cherry blossom was already looking forward to it.

Below Eriol's name was her brother's, _Kinomoto Touya_

Back when she was still in school, Touya was the one who was always there for her. Their father was a busy man and Sakura knew better than to complicate his life with her problems. It was complicated to begin with. But Touya, Touya was different. He was ready to listen and even though he constantly teased her by calling her rude names, Sakura knew he cared. Presently, the girl wonders if she could say the same. After Sakura's graduation, Touya had moved to his new flat. As expected, Yukito's was not very far away. There were times that Touya would remember her and drop by her apartment but right now, there seems to be a few conflicts regarding his job. Sakura understood but she couldn't help but wish that he will drop by her place this Christmas.

Next to Touya's name, of course, was _Tsukishiro Yukito's_

Even back then, Touya and Yukito were inseparable. They were a duo and one wasn't really complete without the other. Somehow like Tomoyo and Sakura. The girl remembered the old times when she had a crush on Yukito. She had to laugh at herself for that. Now, they were good friends and if it was sensible to buy Touya a gift, it was more sensible to buy Yukito one.

"We're here," The driver in front announced in a gruff voice. He held his hand out, with his palm open. Sakura eyed his hand and then smiled at him. She took out a few bills from her purse and placed it on his large, calloused hand.

"Thank you and Merry Christmas!" Sakura greeted before she left the vehicle. The driver only nodded.

She straightened her outfit first, a mismatched pair of her shirt and skirt—the first things she laid her hands on. Checking her things, she secured her purse under her arm and looked up at the tall building that blocked out most of the sunlight. People were continuously rushing in and out of the doors, carrying packages of all shapes and sizes. Children were being dragged by mothers, couples snuggling in each other's arms. With the wind blowing cold on her pale face, Sakura smiled.

Christmas was finally here.

ooOOoo

"Excuse me," Sakura tried to squeeze through the crowd of people, all waiting to exit the mall. Her hands clutched her packages tighter. In an odd way, Sakura felt proud holding those packages. They were the fruits of her hard work, after waiting in line for about half an hour and arguing with one lady that she was not her child, Sakura felt a great admiration for herself for completing her list. But she did get somewhat annoyed by Christmas shopping and its hassles. No pain, no gain.

Sakura felt someone push behind her shoulder and she just sighed, knowing that she couldn't do anything but wait. She was slowly nearing the door and the girl suddenly felt excited to leave. She would be meeting Eriol in a few minutes and then, she would head back to her apartment to wrap everyone's presents. In the midst of the pushing crowd and the loud noises, the girl managed to take a deep breath as well as a peek at her watch. Her emerald green eyes widened as she saw the time. She was late! She was late for her date with Eriol!

She stood on her tiptoes. Good, the crowd had managed to exit through the small door. Her turn was coming up soon. Just be patient. When the big man in front of her finally got through the doors, Sakura took another deep breath before completely leaving the mall. She was finally getting ready to hail a taxi when she realized that she was standing in line to wait for taxis to pass by. The bad thing is, there were about fifty or so people waiting and she was last in line.

_I'm late,_ Sakura told herself again. _Darn it, why now?_

Sakura knew better than to pout and complain. She just had to be optimistic. There were a lot of public vehicles here just waiting to be ridden on. Peering at the long line, she frowned.

_Okay, maybe thinking optimistically is not a good idea. What now?_

Scanning the streets, she hoped for a taxi—or anything to take her to Eriol—to appear. She had never been late for any of their dates before and it would be unfair to Eriol who was always on time if she didn't do anything. Sakura scowled. It would take ages for her to actually get inside a taxi. Just when she thought she had lost all hope, she saw a flash of yellow in the corner of her eye. She saw a waiting, empty taxi on the other side of the road! Without any other thought, she took a step then another, crossing the street with no other thought in mind except that she was late.

She stepped on the road to dash to the other side, just like the chicken.

But unlike her, there was no taxi rushing towards chicken. And if there was, the driver would've noticed the chicken. The taxi in Sakura's situation though, was different. And unlike the chicken, Sakura did not get to the other side of the road.

ooOOoo

The last thing she remembered was the white ceiling and those very bright, annoying lights. She remembered the knocking from this morning and the thought caused her head to ache more. Something inside of her was urging her to close her eyes but she thought otherwise. She wanted to know where she is and how she got here.

She couldn't sleep yet.

_No,_ she told the voice in her head. _I don't want to yet._ She explained.

But the voice continued on and on, like a distant echo. Sakura's head was aching and so were the rest of her body. She was dead tired… if so, why won't she just go to sleep? Sakura felt her eyebrows knit a scowl. The voice was starting to get irritating.

_NO!_ she said. _NO!_

But the voice was too strong and she can't deny the call of sleep any longer. All of the sudden, she felt her eyelids get heavy. _Where am I? What am I doing here?_

_No,_ she whimpered. _I want my mom… or my dad… or Touya… I want them… Where are they?_

_No, _she pleaded. _Not yet. I want to see Tomoyo. I want to see Eriol. _

The voice became louder and firmer and the urge to close her eyes was too powerful to ignore now. Sakura wanted to go to sleep but at the same time, she didn't want to. She wanted somebody, anybody. She could hear faint noises but couldn't exactly pinpoint where it was coming from and what was causing it.

And finally, when she couldn't hold it any longer, she felt her eyes close and she surrendered to the sweet call of sleep.

Then everything went black…

ooOOoo

A/N: What do you think? It sucks? It's just something I thought of one night. Leave a review, I'll accept anything you have to say. :D

ELIE


	2. Heaven

Heaven Sent 

Chapter 2: Heaven

There was something in Christmas that people always look forward to. It was weird why this is one of the holidays we would hate to miss so much. What was in Christmas anyway? Is it the gifts that make people wanting for Christmas? The long holiday vacation? The fact that almost everyone is at peace during the Yuletide Season? What?

ooOOoo

Sakura opened her eyes groggily. The first thing that came to her mind was that she was wearing an all-white outfit—very different from the clothes she put on this morning. Her head was aching like a hammer was pounding on it and she had no idea where she was. Of course, her first instinct was to look around.

White walls…

White furniture…

A big hole in the ceiling…

_Gee, whoever lives here must surely like white._ Sakura noted to herself. There was a nagging thought in the back of her mind, reminding her of something that she had to finish. Only her head aches so much that she couldn't remember it. _What was I supposed to do again?_

"Hello?" the cherry blossom called out. "Anybody here?"

Her voice echoed throughout the room and gave Sakura a creepy feeling. Thinking that she might've gotten lost or something, she concluded that she should just sit down and wait for the owner of house to come to her. Then she would explain that she needed to do something…

_What was I supposed to do again?_

Her mind is blank. She couldn't remember anything. Sakura shook her head. She couldn't believe this. How can she forget? There was something she wanted to do badly yet there was no trace of it in her mind. The girl always knew she had a short-term memory but there was no way that she could forget something so important.

A person…

Someone. She was going to see someone. Who could that be? The girl racked her mind to remember but the only thing she got was an even worse headache. She brought her shaking hand to massage her temples. The soothing feeling that she had given herself did not help her search for the mystery person though.

"I see you're awake," an unknown voice said all of the sudden. Sakura whipped her head up to see one of the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen. He was a well-built man—not too muscular, not too skinny—with a mane of beautiful blonde hair. To match his hair were a pair of entrancing blue eyes and an almost pale complexion. Like Sakura, he was also wearing white.

Not knowing what to say, Sakura nodded, almost ashamed that she was staring at him for a long time. Thankfully, the girl remembered her manners and bowed low.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Kinomoto Sakura, thank you for keeping me here." If she was making an effort to mask her nervousness, she might as well give up. She said her speech all in one breath and her hands were practically shaking as she clutched the white garment she wore.

The man smiled, a beautiful, warm smile.

"Don't worry, little one. I already know your name." He assured gently and motioned for Sakura to stop bowing. Then, he offered her a seat on the white couch within his arm reach.

"You do? But how did that happen? I've never seen you before in my life…" It was a minute too late when Sakura realized she was stuttering. Why was she so nervous? The man before her didn't seem the type that runs around wild with a chainsaw ripping people's heads off. Nor does he seem the type to pin her down the floor and take advantage of her.

"Hush. Don't be so nervous, nobody will hurt you," he told her. Sakura nodded in reply but inside she was feeling like a tense mother waiting for her child's results on his exam. Well, something sort of like that. "I know everyone's names. I don't forget a single one."

"You don't?" Sakura asked, her eyes holding admiration and awe for this man. "How come you don't?"

"I just don't. There are some things in this world that are better left alone as a mystery because if they are solved, the world won't be fun to live in at all."

Sakura frowned. That was pretty deep and philosophical in one way or another.

"I get your point," she murmured. _Somehow,_ she added to herself. "Um… I wanted to ask you something, Mr. Um… Sir,"

"Go ahead," The man nodded.

"Well, why am I here? I couldn't remember a thing and my head aches like he—" Sakura suddenly stopped talking as the man's hand wagged in front of her.

"Uh-uh. We are not supposed to say those kind of things here," he scolded lightly. Sakura gulped audibly and nodded.

"Okay. My head aches a lot, I don't know where I am, and I don't remember what I was trying to do. Well, to be truthful, I don't remember anything." Sakura confessed. The man nodded, psychiatrist-like.

"I don't want to beat around the bush, little one, so I am going to tell you everything now. The truth is, you're dead."

Silence.

Sakura waited for the words to seep in as well as for her mind to comprehend the stranger's words. When she finally understood, let's just say that it was unexpected for her to do what she did.

"Oh how nice, I'm dead… WHAT??"

"They always react that way," the man sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, little one, you are."

"But how did this happen? I can swear that I woke up this morning perfectly alive." Sakura shook her head and cradled her forehead in her palms, muttering a few inaudible phrases.

"You did wake up alive. If you don't mind, I will retell the story of your death,"

Sakura just gave a faint nod, still not sure whether to believe this man or not.

"You went out your shelter in hopes of buying presents for your loved ones and you succeeded. You emerged out of the building in a not-so-perfect health condition yet it was your impulsiveness that killed you."

"My impulsiveness?" the girl echoed. _Oh Lord, help me. I think I may be going mad._

"It was your impulsiveness and impatience that drove you to run across the other side of the street for a mere vehicle you call a… taxi, yes, I think that's it. Unfortunately for you, a taxi was speeding on the road that time and he seemed to have stepped on the brakes a bit too late."

"I was ran over by a taxi?" Sakura concluded but her voice was somewhat frustrated, annoyed, angry. "I thought I was going to die of cancer!"

"What made you think that?" the man gave her a questioning look.

"I just wanted to die from a disease, not some accident." Sakura explained. From somewhere still unknown, something hit her. She remembers.

The screeching brakes… the people's screams… the ambulance wailing… and Tomoyo…

Tomoyo was there. Tomoyo was with her in the hospital. She was crying… and she kept on saying how stupid Sakura was for running off the street like that. The raven-haired girl also kept chanting that Sakura would live…

Yet…

"I'm really dead, aren't I?" Sakura asked the man. He nodded solemnly in reply. "So… what happens now?"

"For starters, you are in heaven."

"I am?" Sakura echoed.

"Yes, little one, you are. You will be staying here for the rest of eternity."

"Can I… Can I see God?" Sakura asked hopefully. Now that she's dead, there might be a chance that she'll see her parents here.

"You may, but not now," the man explained. "But I still have a lot more to say. Although you are dead, I would like to know if you have any intention of living again, if ever that is possible."

Sakura thought for a moment. Would she? She misses Tomoyo already as well as Touya and Yukito. She wanted to repay Mrs. Sawada for the cookies. She wanted to see Touya's baby (which hopefully he will have in the near future). She wanted to be promoted in her job. She wanted to be Tomoyo's bridesmaid in her wedding. She wanted to marry Eriol and have tons of babies! Yes! She wanted to live! She wanted to live more than anything else.

"Yes! Yes I do!" Sakura answered. "I want to live. I want to see my friends, my boyfriend, my brother—and his best friend. I want to live!"

The man smiled.

"Very well. Somebody will be with you in a moment."

"Why?" Sakura called out to his retreating figure. "What's going to happen?"

"Just wait and see, little one. Just wait and see."

ooOOoo

Alone in the room, Sakura finally found it safe to think. She was dead, just like that. The truth was so farfetched to become real. Nobody would've expected for her to die so soon—not even her. She touched her clothes.

_Is this real?_ She found herself asking. _What if everything was just a bad dream and when I wake up, I'll laugh at myself for dreaming such a stupid dream in the first place?_

_But what if it isn't?_ A voice in her head asked. Sakura sat straighter. Of course, that could happen too. But it was better if she held on to what she wanted to happen, right? To begin with, it was really stupid of her to run off like that. She should've just waited for her turn to get a taxi and then she'd get to meet Eriol, even if she was late.

_I wanted to die without regrets. That's why I wanted to die because of a disease. Because then, I know that I would die and then I would be able to solve my problems before I leave the world of the living. But thinking about it… that's kind of selfish, isn't it?_

There was still a lot she wanted to do and a lot she needed to do. She wasn't ready to die yet. Sakura felt a bit disappointed in herself for being impulsive and impatient and stupid. She wasn't a child who couldn't do any thinking of his own. She was grown woman, with a functioning brain as well as body parts. Yet she died because of her stupidity, anyway.

"Kinomoto-san?" a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Sorry for interrupting, my name is Hera and I was sent to introduce you to the flow of things here."

"It's okay, Hera-san. Come in," Sakura invited. Unlike the man before, Hera had long, beautiful brown hair that she wore unadorned. She had mischievous green eyes and a petite frame. There was something about her that screamed "BEAUTIFUL!" but Sakura can't find it.

"Very well. Kinomoto-san, being dead is not a very easy task." Hera reminded. "Just like the living, the dead also have some things that are needed to follow. To start this lecture, being dead means that your spirit has completely left your body. There will no need to feed yourself, unless you want to. Also, you will not need to take those long water rituals you call baths. Your spirit is pure that is why there is no need to purify it further."

"I didn't know things work that way here," Sakura confessed with a smile.

"Being dead needs a lot of getting used to, Kinomoto-san, because it is very different from being alive. You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure." Hera smiled at her. "Spirits are very close to the Divine Being and whenever you want to see him, you can. You may tell him anything, your joys, sorrows or even wants."

Just as Hera finished her sentence, a loud beeping noise filled the room. Sakura looked around, trying to find the source of the noise but her search proved to be unfruitful.

"I'm sorry, that was my mobile device." Hera said apologetically.

_Mobile device? Who in hel—er… who would've thought that angels actually carry those things?_

Sakura watched intently as the brunette answered her "mobile device", which seemed like a cross between a beeper and a cellular phone. She seemed to know how to use it well so it must've been here for a long time. Who knew that Heaven would be affected by the technology craze as well? At last, Hera finally put down her "mobile device" and turned to Sakura.

"I don't know how this news will affect you, Kinomoto-san…" she began. It was the cue for Sakura's heart to beat faster. What could possibly be the problem now? That she was sent to the wrong place?

"You have been granted access to live again."

ooOOoo

A/N: There! I have updated! Thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciate it! This is my Christmas present to all! Hope you like it!

P.S. Since I have updated too soon, I may have used up all my writing capabilities. O.o But do not worry! For I will update and I will try to make it sooner. Thanks again to everyone.

ELIE


	3. Chances

Disclaimer: If I owned Card Captor Sakura, I wouldn't be writing this fanfiction in the first place.

**Heaven Sent**

Chapter 3: Chances

Life contains many harsh secrets. Most of these secrets aren't really meant for us to find out. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, these secrets never fail to surprise us. Without these secrets, life won't be as interesting and mysterious as it is now.

ooOOoo

Sakura's eyes might as well pop out of their sockets as she tried to understand the why's and how's of the situation at hand. Something in the back of her head kept nagging her to just let it be, but she knew very well that she wouldn't allow it to just… be left unanswered. She had a lot of questions why she was in Heaven in the first place and now, more questions came pouring in as she just received the news that she could go back to life.

"Can-can that really happen?" Sakura found herself stuttering for the first time in years. She was already considering her choices and making future plans, like telling Tomoyo about her encounter with Heaven.

"Why, yes," Hera replied, checking a clipboard that was on the table. Sakura raised her eyebrows at the clipboard. _Was it here before?_ "I believe so. I must tell you, Kinomoto-san, that this rarely happens because this needs a lot of preparations and alterations but it is possible."

"Well then, why am I given the chance to live again? Was it something I did? Something I need to do?" Sakura asked. Her mind was spinning with possibilities and a bit dizzy from excitement.

Hera smiled softly at her. "That, I cannot answer. I'm afraid that I don't know either, I was only given the orders to inform you."

"Oh," Sakura looked a bit disappointed.

"Kinomoto-san, I'm sure you know life is a precious thing." Hera began, walking around the room. Sakura nodded in reply. "Well, everyone in here knows that. Which is why, you should be able to know that bringing you back to life is a difficult task. Every spirit in here cannot be granted to live once again only a few chosen ones," she looked at her with a smile. "Are given the chance. In return…"

"You want me to live my life as a very good person and set an example for others?" Sakura continued hopefully. It never crossed her mind that she actually had to do something in return. But it was only fair, she supposed.

"No, Kinomoto-san, you are asked to do something before we truly bring you back to life."

"And that is?"

"It is your turn to be someone's guardian angel in the next 30 days."

ooOOoo

_Guardian angel? Whoever believed in those nowadays? What exactly does a guardian angel do? Act like a spirit bodyguard? Be an emotional consultant/psychiatrist? Be a living, breathing diary for those being guarded? _

Sakura's perception of a Guardian Angel was still a bit hazy. Hera didn't even specify what she needed to do. She just told her that she was a Guardian Angel PERIOD. Her words, instead of clearing Sakura's mind, made her even more confused. Once again, she was asked to stay in the room assigned to her until another angel—a different one, perhaps—came in.

Her thoughts then traveled to the people she left on Earth. What were Tomoyo and Eriol doing now? Were they still grieving for her? Or have they finally moved on? She missed them dearly and she hoped they felt the same for her.

What about Touya? It must be hard for him since both their parents have died and now he was left with no family at all. Then again, Touya was young and strong. He could conquer emotional obstacles like this in a flash. Sakura remembered when he was usually silent whenever the topic about their parents was brought up. Touya was caring and sensitive but he knew when it was time to live in the present and move on.

Sakura missed all of them, even her usually mean boss, who loved nothing than to give the poor girl more work. Even her landlady's husband, who was usually cranky in the morning and would snap at her whenever she greeted him good morning.

She missed her life.

She missed living in Earth.

ooOOoo

A new angel came in, this time a redheaded male with a well-built body and exquisite green eyes. He looked strict but Sakura wasn't in any position to choose right now, is she? He entered the room with a male arrogance—in Sakura's opinion—or maybe he was just confident. Following him inside the room was a projector and as if under a spell, it arranged itself neatly in a corner of the room. Sakura's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Let's get started, shall we?" the angel asked and quickly introduced himself as Kou. (Insert A/N: Sorry for the names. We all know I suck at them, please try to bear with me.) "I am here to introduce you to the person who you will be Guardian Angel-ing for the next few days."

_Guardian Angel-ing? Was that even a word? _Sakura didn't bother to ask since she thought Angels were not worthy to be questioned by someone like her.

"Yes, that is a word. And yes, I can read every thought that goes through your head," He said quickly, a small smile tugging at his lips. Sakura flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she said in a small voice.

"That is fine, Kinomoto-san." The Angel assured. "Now, back to the lucky person you're going to stay with." A picture of a handsome young man appeared from the projector. His whole profile seemed to be serious but despite that fact, Sakura had taken him into liking already. He had slightly messed chocolate brown hair as well as intense brown eyes. He also had a strong jaw and the small smile on his lips made him look—cute. Sakura stopped for a moment.

What was she thinking? After this Guardian Angel business, she was going to run back to Eriol's arms. She wouldn't dare two-time him with someone she didn't even know yet. Sakura was pretty confident Eriol wouldn't do the same for her.

"He," Kou's deep voice brought Sakura back to reality. He obviously heard her thoughts but decided not to say anything about it. _Good,_ Sakura thought once again. _It'll save us from awkward topics._ "Is Syaoran Li, the Li heir as well as President of one of the largest companies in the country. He is independent; he doesn't want anybody interfering with his life even with his five sisters and the whole clan bothering him to get a wife. He is a loner and he intends to stay that way. As of now, he is 27 years old with tons of nieces and nephews and aging parents. Li-kun is a busy person and he has hardly time for anyone but his family and his job. I must remind you that his job is very important to him,"

Sakura nodded, like an apt student listening to her teacher.

"I will give you this handout of his past and you can study it later. Now, you must be wondering what is wrong with Syaoran Li's life when he's got money, power and a supporting family with him. To be frank, Li-kun's life is falling apart. His job is taking away his youthful energy, his family is getting impatient waiting for the heir to get married, his money… well, there's really nothing wrong with his money. He's just got tons of it. Also, in this other handout are further information about him. Take time to study him, understand him. You will be given a maximum of two days to think about this offer. You can decline this mission anytime between those two days. But, once you have already started, there is no backing out. The people here in Heaven are very strict when it comes to verbal agreements."

"Okay. Thank you, I understand. I'll just tell you when I am to decline or not by tomorrow." Sakura informed Kou. She admits that this "mission"—the first mission in her life—excites her. Not only because of the fact that she was going back to life but as well as Syaoran Li, the man who had captured her interests from her first look.

Kou had politely said goodbye and left the room, the projector still following him, leaving Sakura with the handouts as well as Syaoran Li's picture. Now all that was needed was her decision.

ooOOoo

At age 3, Li Syaoran had been officially introduced as heir to their clan. It was not easy for the child, to undergo such heavy training at a young age. He was required to master a sport of his choice and prove his expertise in it after a few months. He was also required to learn how to read and write in his native tongue, Chinese.

At age 5, Syaoran had entered an exclusive school to widen his knowledge.

At age 6, Syaoran's grandfather had died.

At age 7, Syaoran had been given an award for being the most outstanding student in the class.

At age 12, Syaoran had been given further training, shaping his young body into those of a man.

At age 16, Syaoran's schooling was continued in China, where his parents preferred he would live in the future. He didn't agree to be betrothed to his cousin, Mei Ling.

Sakura stopped reading the list. This was too much. A child wasn't born in this Earth to live for others. A child is born to live for himself. He is taught to help himself. Sakura never thought that someone rich, handsome and powerful had to go through to all these ordeals at such a young age. She was still debating whether she should accept the chance or not. It wasn't a very easy thing to do. The cherry blossom wanted nothing more than to return to her loved ones but being someone's guardian is not as easy as it looks.

She needed more time.

To figure out what to do…

To sort out her priorities…

To make her decision…

And finally, to understand what in Syaoran Li attracts her so much.

ooOOoo

A/N: There! It's done! Sorry of this chapter is shorter than the others, I promise I'll make it up next chapter. Hope you like what happened even if it is short and yeah, I made up Syaoran's past. If there are any mistakes you can't stand, just tell me and I'll fix them. Thanks for the reviews again!

ELIE


	4. First Impressions

**HEAVEN SENT**

Chapter 4: First Impressions

Sakura stood in front of a large door with the number 641 on it. She never imagined that Guardian Angels entered people's lives using their doorbells. One would think that Angel's had a more special entrance. Through the window, for example or maybe through the wall…

But then again, those only happened in movies.

Taking a deep breath, the girl braced herself and knocked on the door.

"_First things first. Angels can materialize themselves at will. People can see you—only if you want them to. You can act like a normal person but when the situation calls for it, you have the ability to turn invisible and also the ability of flight. Just don't get too carried away."_

Finally, the door opened, revealing a fairly young man with alluring brown eyes and a serious yet boyishly handsome face. Another thing noticeable about him is his scowl. What was wrong with him? Didn't he know that it's Christmas? But Sakura didn't want to waste time on that thought. She was here on a mission and she was going to do it the best she could. Time to get started—

"Donation?" the man asked her, his brown eyes studying her intently.

"Er…" Okay. So that wasn't the entrance Sakura hoped. But she was good at adlibbing and she was used to impromptu things. This was a piece of cake. "Actually, no. Li-san, I suppose?" the girl put in mind Hera's advice to tell him that she is his Guardian Angel. Otherwise he wouldn't appreciate it if she followed him around.

"Yes. I am." He paused for a moment. "From what company are you?"

"C-company?" Sakura echoed. "N-no, I'm not… I'm… I want to… could we talk about this inside?" Right. So maybe her impromptu skills were a bit rusty and fine, she'll admit that there was something about Li Syaoran that made her feel a bit—weird.

"And invite a complete stranger in my house? Hell no. Who are you?"

"You know, you should lay off the cursing. It's really not going to help you improve you spiritual life—"

"What?"

It was only now that Sakura was informed about Li Syaoran's short temper. It was kind of weird for a person who started playing chess since he was seven. Needless to say, Sakura didn't want to be put off by this attitude. She was going to be his Guardian Angel whether he liked it or not!

"Erm… Actually…"

"Actually what?" he snapped.

"I'm sort of…"

He cocked his eyebrow to urge her to continue.

"Your Guardian Angel," Sakura finished with a quick exhale.

For a moment, the girl thought that he would explode in anger but he surprised her with his smile and eventually, a chuckle. Irrelevantly, Sakura thought that he looked better smiling than with a frown. Well, it is true.

"Well then, Angel, would you mind going back to Heaven for a little while?"

This is what surprised Sakura. "F-for what?"

"To regain your sanity." Those were his last words before he shut the door in her face.

It took Sakura two seconds flat to realize what he said and what he did afterwards and it took her less than a second to act on this matter. Of course, she still kept in mind Hera's words on acting ladylike, innocent and angelic.

"Hey, wait!" Sakura, obviously abandoning everything angelic at that moment, started banging her fists on the door. "Open up! You have to believe me!"

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

"What do you want?" he growled as he opened his door.

"Let me in?" Sakura smiled innocently yet again.

"Li? What's all this noise?" An elderly woman poked her head out on the opposite door. "Just because you're rich doesn't mean that you can make noise here!"

The old woman started to say incoherent words, in a very shrill voice. Sakura winced. Who was making noise again? Syaoran or Grandma here?

"Sorry," Li replied, all the while grabbing Sakura's arm and pulling her petite form inside his humble abode. It would surely save other's ears of hearing anything unpleasant this early in the morning.

ooOOoo

"Now what do you want?

It was exactly two years after Sakura's death, according to Hera and Kou and it was Christmas again in Earth. In Syaoran's room though, there seem to be no room for the holiday. There were papers everywhere and the whole place was monochromatic. Very monochromatic. This guy is supposed to be rich; can't he hire someone who's not colorblind?

"Do you have juice? Orange preferably but I wouldn't mind apple either…"

"Look," Syaoran interrupted. "Answer me straight. Did Heaven run out of room?"

Sakura frowned, as if thinking really hard on the question. "I don't think so."

"Then go get your fricking juice there. I don't have room for Angels here."

"But Syaoran-kun—"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her words. Pretty impressive. Sakura couldn't do that.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura continued. "I'm your Guardian Angel. Yours alone. You can't make me go back."

"Why can't I?"

"Because… you just can't."

"But I can make you go away, can't I?"

"Sorry, can't either. I'm stuck here for good!" Sakura didn't sound so disappointed.

"Okay, I'll cut the crap. I want you out of here. I don't have room for Guardian Angels in my life. In fact, I don't have room for anyone in my life right now. Do you understand? Out. Now."

Okay, Hera didn't mention what to do when Li tries to push you out of the door.

"But I'm telling you, I can't go. I'm supposed to stay with you and… guard you. I can't leave. I have nowhere to go but here."

"I'm afraid that's not my problem." Li shrugged.

"And I would like to inform you that as of now, you're mine." Sakura volleyed. "I want to help you, Syaoran-kun, but only if you'll let me."

In frustration, Syaoran groaned and walked off, leaving Sakura seated on the couch with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Do whatever you want," he said. "Just don't bother me."

Sakura blinked. Now what? Hera—or anyone on Heaven, really—didn't specify what she had to do once she was inside Li Syaoran's home. It was completely up to her. Her thoughts traveled to her previous life and the things she did back then.

She needed to give life to Syaoran's boring one, so what should she do?

_tsuzuku_


	5. Bitterness

_dedicated to Bettina_

**HEAVEN SENT**

Chapter 5: Bitterness

_Who the hell was that?_

Syaoran was charitable. He donated to orphanages, he volunteered for relief operations (but he ends up just donating money because people wouldn't let him do the actual thing) and most of the time he was generous. But this… this uninvited visitor didn't need his generosity. She looked pampered with her soft-looking brown hair and plain yet stylish white dress. He didn't need to go soft on her at all. And her Guardian Angel excuse has got to be the lamest—even blasphemous—excuse in history. What kind of person uses God to enter a man's house?

From the open space the door created, Syaoran watched her. He was suspicious and not really glad at the idea of a stranger staying inside his house no matter how pretty she might be. You'll never know what she can do.

He could still remember the look on her face when she finally confessed that she an "Angel." In looks, she could pass as one but Syaoran doesn't believe in all this Angel crap. That's exaclt what they are. Crap.

His eyebrows shot up when she stood up and started looking around. When her hands touched Syaoran's papers, he knew he should intervene before anything else happened. He opened the door and in quick strides, he was beside her in a heartbeat. That's it. She has to go.

"Oh, I thought you were busy—" She began.

"Look, Miss, are you… unemployed?"

"I don't think so. Well, you see, I work as a—" she began excitedly.

"Never mind that. Are you in need of money?" he shrugged nonchalantly, getting ready to plunge his hand in his pocket to get a few bills in case she did need it. He was willing to do anything to get her out of her. _Anything._

"Not at the moment. Why are you—"

"Homeless?"

"Kind of. But because of—"

"That's it. I'll go call one of our social workers and see if she can arrange a room for you somewhere…" Syaoran pulled out a cellphone out of his pocket instead and started punching some numbers.

Her eyes widened and her hands were quick to cover Syaoran's own, preventing him from dialing any further. He felt her hands—smooth. Really smooth. Yup, she was pretty pampered all right.

"I'm telling you the truth." The girl's eyes pleaded. Syaoran groaned. He could never stand those kind of eyes. "Please believe me."

"Fine," Syaora shrugged his hands out of her clasp and returned his phone to his pocket. "But you have to do something first…"

"And that is?"

"Prove it. Prove you're telling the truth."

"_Now, your wings appear only if you want them to. It hurts a bit when they sprout out of your back, especially during the first time. You feel the pain because you're still human, somehow. Angels—the full-time ones—don't feel anything when their wings appear."_

"P-prove it?" Sakura echoed dumbly. At this, Syaoran nodded.

"I'll wait." He added. Sakura could see a trace of a smirk on his face and instantly, she knew that she could not mess up.

"Okay," Sakura nodded. Fine. Prove it. She will prove it. But how? She can't walk through walls. He'll freak out even more. She can't turn invisible either. That's as freaky as the first one. So then… all that's left is…

Her wings.

Right, then.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard on making her wings come out. Her brow furrowed and she could feel a dull pain on her back. As seconds passed, the pain became acute. Her must be joking. This is her idea of _a little pain_?

One beat.

Two beats.

Sakura wanted to cry. Her back felt like it was going to burst. In this case, it will probably do just that.

"Hey, are you all right?" She heard Syaoran's voice.

No. Must concentrate. Must prove it.

Finally, the pain was so unbearable that Sakura's knees stopped supporting her body and she was soon kneeling on Li Syaoran's carpeted floor.

_Hurts so much_.

She could feel tears in her eyes but nevertheless, she willed herself to bear the pain a bit longer. When she thought that she couldn't hold on anymore—and was actually contemplating on forgetting the whole thing—something behind her burst.

And then, the pain was gone.

She opened her eyes and blinked back the tears in them. She looked behind her and saw the most beautiful things in the world.

Oh dear Lord, she had wings.

Her hands quickly explored them and she could feel herself chuckle as the soft feathers tickled her hands. Then, she glanced at Syaoran, who had his mouth hanging open. At this, Sakura smiled.

ooOOoo

Tomoyo Daidouji can have anything in the world. _Anything_ she can want. If she wanted a lamppost, she can get one; if she wanted a bridge named after her, all she has to do is say the word; if she wanted an island for her birthday, nobody will rest unless she gets one. And yet, despite the seemingly unendless prowess her last name has, her life felt as empty as a moon crater. It's not that Tomoyo's complaining. She's always felt so blessed by the Daidouji blood but eversince Sakura's death, Tomoyo felt a large part of her missing. A very large part.

It's been years now since Sakura's death and yet, Tomoyo couldn't bring herself to do anything that would remind her of her bestfriend. It just hurt too much. And Tomoyo wasn't ready to face reality yet.

"Daidouji-san," a young woman called out in a soft voice. "The new client is waiting inside your office."

Tomoyo nodded and thanked the girl. She checked if her hair was still fixed neatly in a bun and then afterwards straightened her skirt before proceeding to enter her own office. Since the accident that changed almost everything in the young Daidouji's life, Tomoyo took her place in the corporation her mother left for her. Never did she think that she'd be entering the world of business. But then again, never did she think that Sakura would be taken away so early.

"I'm sorry," were Tomoyo's first words upon entering the room. "I went out for some fresh air. Now—"

It was only then that Tomoyo reached her desk and saw who was sitting in the chair in front of it. It was a face that she didn't think she'd ever see again. It was a face she didn't want to see again. What was he doing here in the first place?

"H-Hiriigizawa-kun?" Tomoyo choked out.

"Daidouji-san, a pleasure to see you again," Hiriigizawa Eriol bowed his head slightly and then smiled warmly at her.

This was a dream—no, a nightmare. A really, really real nightmare. His blue eyes were sparkly as ever and very tempting to look at; his smile ten times as dazzling as before; his face was still very handsome TIMES four. Oh no. No, no, no. Tomoyo was over this. WAAAAY over it.

"Y-You're my client?" Tomoyo stuttered. If only she were aware of her actions, she would realize that her stuttering shattered her cool-corporate woman image.

"I'm afraid so," Eriol chuckled but then one look at her and his brow furrowed. "Is this a bad time, Daidouji-san? You look pale."

"O-oh no. No, no." Tomoyo laughed nervously at his comment. "I'm just… I just need some fresh air and…"

_A reality check._

_tsuzuku_


	6. Wishes

**HEAVEN SENT**

Chapter 6: Wishes

This time of year, many people would wish for a lot of things. You know, to take advantage of the Christmas season and all. Sakura, Syaoran and even Eriol and Tomoyo are included in this sea of people, muttering wishes under the breaths when they thought no one was listening. Unbeknownst to them, someone was.

"But I specifically told them not to mention the project to Matsasuda-san until the unveiling!" Syaoran said over the phone, his scowl more noticeable now. Sakura watched him from the other end of his monochromatic couch, flinching every now and then whenever he cursed. She spent her first night as an Angel on the very same couch although she couldn't get any sleep. She didn't need any sleep, to be precise. And so, in an effort to utilize the time she has, Sakura spent the night plotting ways on how to start on her Guardian Angel duties.

Syaoran slammed the phone down, producing a harsh sound of plastic against plastic. Sakura flinched again. But she didn't have the time to chastise him for the three-minute cursing he did over the phone. She had something to do. First on her agenda was to start her Guardian-Angeling.

_Get Syaoran-kun off of work. _

"Work problems?" Sakura asked meekly.

"Yeah, sort of." Syaoran said with a small smile on his face. "It must be great to be an Angel, huh?"

"At times, yeah." Sakura agreed. "You know what? Today's a Saturday. How about we spend the whole day outside?"

"No, I can't do that. I have work to do—"

"You've been working all your life, Syaoran-kun. Surely one day of rest wouldn't hurt." Sakura told him, tugging at his sleeve. "Come on, it's a beautiful day outside!"

"I really don't think—"

"That's right, you don't think. Of yourself, that is. Stop for a moment to relax! Please, Syaoran-kun!" the Angel asked—no, pleaded.

"I can relax right here. Since when have you developed a sudden urge to go outside?" he asked her with a pointed look.

"I want to see other colors!" Sakura whined. It was a pathetic excuse, but if it was going to bring Syaoran outside, Sakura didn't care. And it was true, black and white can be so boring. "Your place is just so… color-less."

"Hey, enough with the wisecracks if you want to stay here."

"You don't really want to go outside? Really really?"

"Really really." Syaoran said with an exasperated sigh.

"But we'd have lots of fun when we go outside!" Sakura persisted. "Please? Please please?"

"I don't really think that we'd—"

"Please, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura tugged at his shirt. "Please? Just this once!"

At this, the young business tycoon sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a habit he does when he's by himself. Technically, right now, he is.

"Fine. I guess a few minutes won't hurt."

Sakura beamed at him. Syaoran couldn't help smiling a little back.

_Please, please let this work._

ooOOoo

Li Syaoran watched the girl in front of him as she pulled him in an almost endless maze of people. She was treating him like a rag doll. Pull here, pull there. And the worst of it was, Syaoran was acting like a rag doll! What was happening to the world? He wasn't raised to follow! He was raised to lead, no matter what the circumstance.

And so, he planted his feet firmly on the ground. Sakura immediately noticed the extra added weight to her load and thus, she stopped too.

"Anything wrong, Syaoran-kun?"

"I prefer we walk beside each other," he told her coldly. Sakura surely detected the change in his tone, but she decided to pay no heed to it.

"All right." Sakura chimed brightly. The streets were littered with people going in and out of shops and this made it harder for Sakura to stay close to her Guardian Angel-ee, if there were such a word. In lieu to this, she tightened her hold on Syaoran's hand.

Syaoran surely detected the change in her grip, but he decided to pay no heed to it. This made Sakura a bit happy. Now that Syaoran was in a temperamental mood, anything can happen. Especially to her.

At long last, the two reached the park. Since it was a Saturday, they should have expected that a lot of brilliant people would think of their brilliant idea to stay in the park for a bit of rest and relaxation. There were families enjoying picnics, couple strolling hand in hand, students reading on the benches… needless to say, the place was full.

Sakura could've groaned at the tiny flaw in her master plan but she wasn't the type to be defeated so easily.

"There's an empty bench, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura told him excitedly, masking her slight disappointment with a cheery smile. But a glance at him told her that he was no longer interested.

"What exactly are we going to do here?"

"We were supposed to rest here." The Angel began.

"And obviously, we can't do that now." He said. His words had finality to them; something that said that he was in authority and at the same time, he sounded indifferent. Unmoved. Cold.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect this to happen—"

"Let's just go."

Something inside Sakura just broke. She had failed on her first attempt to help him. What was going to happen to the rest? The girl felt frustration and disappointment awash her, but her optimistic side tried its best to keep everything at bay.

It doesn't seem to be winning this fight.

ooOOoo

"But I thought you left the country," the Daidouji told her visitor. She has somehow convinced herself that Hiriigizawa Eriol was a harmless creature and that there was nothing to be afraid of.

"A possibility. But no, I didn't" Eriol replied. Tomoyo narrowed her eyes at him. He still looked the same, which made things harder for her. He still has the same blue eyes although they were more intense now; the same mouth that delivered his killer smile that girls died for, although now it was more serious; the same eyeglasses that gave him a scholarly appearance, although now it added years to his age.

"So what have you been doing for the past years?" Tomoyo refused to meet his eyes at this point. The sight of him evoked memories that Tomoyo didn't want to remember. Not just yet.

The business prospect was completely forgotten and right now, they were neither entrepreneur nor client. Rather, they were friends. The air of formality was dropped and the tension that Tomoyo felt was slowly disappearing.

"I was working." He replied simply. "And you, obviously, have abandoned clothes-making."

"My mother," Tomoyo began with a small smile. "is a persistent woman. She makes sure she gets what she wants."

"Are you enjoying the world of business so far?"

"I am." Tomoyo replied brightly, her first real smile since she entered her office. "I really am."

Eriol apparently took some personality-analysis-like class, for he knew why Tomoyo reacted that way at the sight of him, and why she seemed very tense at the beginning of their conversation. He felt the same way she did which made it easier for him to navigate his next step in this dialogue.

"Do you still miss _her_?" his playful tone was gone and it suddenly became serious. This time, it was he who found the carpeted floor a worthy recipient of his attention.

"Everyday." Tomoyo said after a few minutes. "Every single day."

_Tsuzuku_

A/N: I have good news! Expect longer chapters from now on because I am **really** insipired now. I think it's because of _Tsubasa. _Ehehe. Anyway, I want to thank the people who continue to read this fic! I LOVE YOU!

As usual, you can say anything you want. XD (I know there are some mistakes there. Correct me if you can't stand them, 'kay?)

Oh yeah, REVIEWS PLEASE!


	7. Hope

**HEAVEN SENT**

Chapter 7: Hope

"Uh-oh," Hera stopped in her place, momentarily abandoning her angelic duties.

"Is something wrong, Hera-san?" Kou, a red-headed Seraphim approached her. Hera gripped her clipboard in her hands.

"Kinomoto-san…" the Angel began. "She's going to tell him her past. I can feel it."

"Don't be so worried, Hera-san. Kinomoto-san will do just fine." Kou assured.

"But a revelation of one's past—it never yielded any good results. I told her that."

"Trust her. I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

ooOOoo

Sakura doesn't know what she's doing. Not anymore, at least. It seems that Li Syaoran was a different person than what was described in the hand-outs. Another thing that Sakura didn't expect was the effect of his eyes on her. She should've known that if a picture can hypnotize her, what more can the real thing? She underestimated it too much.

Thankfully, the Li heir was inside his room, sparing Sakura from his eyes for the meantime.

_Ring!_

"Oh." Sakura gasped softly in surprise.

_Ring!_

She shouldn't answer it. Even if it might be urgent. No. she just shouldn't. She's supposed to be dead. Dead people do not go around answering ringing telephones. They just don't. That's not normal, even for something abnormal as them.

Finally, after minutes of mental debating, Sakura was relieved to hear that the answering machine has taken the call. She was quite concerned though of the voice that followed the beep.

"_Syaoran?"_ a shrill voice asked. _"You're not answering your phone again!'_

Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"_You know, I don't even know why you bought a telephone in the first place. You hardly answer it. It's like throwing a hundred bucks down the drain. Then again, you are rich. Anyway, fine, ignore me. But I'm telling you, you HAVE to go to the family dinner tonight. Everyone is expecting you. And besides, it's Christmas! Your mother wants an explanation for your moving out and your father, as usual, is expecting you to bring a girl home. He's threatening to find one himself if you're not up for it. We're all expecting you to marry soon because your father is not getting any younger. I'm sure you know that. _

_Don't forget to wear something red tonight. Your mother's orders. Also, do straighten this mess out with your mother. I swear, she looks at me like I'm some criminal every time I deny her your new phone number. Oh and if you've forgotten—which you usually do on purpose—my fiancée's going to be there. Behave yourself. I mean it. Bye."_

"It's amazing what she can say in a minute flat." Syaoran remarked from behind Sakura. The girl looked behind her to see Syaoran leaning against the doorframe, eyeing the answering machine with a look of boredom.

"Are you going?" Sakura asked nervously. She was very afraid to upset Syaoran now, after what happened a while ago.

"To the dinner?" Syaoran looked at her as if she'd grown another head. "Of course not."

"B-but why not?"

"I never go to family dinners." Syaoran shrugged.

"But you heard her. You mother wants you to be there."

"I don't want to be there." He told her flatly. "Do you enjoy annoying me? I'm not going to give in to that whining technique of yours again."

"W-what? Syaoran-kun, I just want you to be there," Sakura said quietly.

"Guess what? This discussion is over and I am not going."

Those were his last words before he shut himself in his room.

Sakura frowned and sent one last look at Syaoran's closed door. She'd already had her first strike. This was another opportunity and from what Hera taught, opportunities were not supposed to be wasted. Especially for her, who had a limited time to fulfill her duties.

"Lord," Sakura prayed silently. "Please help me. Syaoran-kun proves to be a very tough and stubborn person. But he doesn't have to stay that way. Please, please help me in my next attempts…"

ooOOoo

So far, Syaoran was more unpredictable than the weather. One minute, Sakura was so convinced that she had managed to sneak past through Syaoran's multiple masks but then, in a flash, he puts them all back on and then it's harder to sneak in. What was he so afraid of?

Whatever it is, Sakura refused to be afraid of it. She was sent here to do a mission and she'd do it even if it cost her her life.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura knocked softly on the door. "I'm coming in, okay?"

No answer.

"Syaoran-kun?" she tentatively pushed the door open. Still no answer. Sakura started to go inside.

"Aah! Don't come in! I don't have anything on!" Syaoran's voice stopped Sakura on her tracks.

"Aah… aah… Sorry!" Sakura's face became beet red and she was about to rush out the door when she heard Syaoran's unmistakable laughter.

"Are you very gullible or just very naïve?" he asked in between chuckles. Sakura started to walk further inside the room to find Syaoran seated on his chair, in front of him was his laptop and a multitude of papers. Well, he had clothes on, contrary to what he said…

Oh my.

"You lied?" Sakura gaped at him, as if he had just confessed to the murder of seven children.

"Yup." He replied, indifferent to the look Sakura gave him.

"You know you shouldn't do that." She warned him. "It's really bad to fabricate the truth in any way."

"What'll happen?" Syaoran taunted her. "You are _that_ naïve, huh? Does Guardian Angel-ing do that to you?"

Sakura was a bit taken aback. She didn't what'll happen, of course. Hera didn't want her to know that much. Nevertheless, she tried her best to answer it. "I-I don't know. But I do know that you have to go to your house tonight."

Syaoran's grin disappeared at the word "house." He sighed audibly and adjusted his seat. "I told you, I'm not going."

"But why not?"

"I have my reasons, all right?"

"Then settle everything now. If you put this off everyday, nothing will happen." Sakura reasoned. She was hopeful. Very hopeful. It was, after all, her second attempt today.

"I want nothing to happen."

"But I want something good to happen to you. And you have to trust me so that I can make it happen. Won't you please come to the family dinner tonight? If tonight turns out to be so bad, I won't force you to go to the next one."

"You'll never stop at anything, won't you?"

"No. I never will." The girl answered proudly. "So will you go?"

"Fine. I will." Syaoran sighed and stood up from his chair. "But I'm telling you, this is the last one."

Sakura nodded with a big smile on her face.

ooOOoo

"You're coming along?" Syaoran frowned as Sakura sat on the passenger's seat beside him. She was still wearing the same white dress she arrived in; although this time she wore a hairpin to keep her hair off her face. It was only then that Syaoran realized that she owned green eyes. Beautiful ones.

But he really shouldn't be thinking of that.

"Don't worry. I'll stay hidden the whole night. They won't see anything." She said in a whisper, as if she was sharing a big secret with him.

"I can't go there with you." He told her. "You'll be like the stalker I never knew… or something."

"I have to go. Who'll guard you if I'm not there?"

"Go then. Just make sure no one sees you." Syaoran told her sternly. "If someone sees you I'll—"

"Yes. Yes." Sakura replied. "I won't let anyone see me. Got it."

The drive to the Li Manor was silent. It was so silent that Sakura sang "A-you're-adorable" four times and still counting. Syaoran seemed to have reached his limit at this point and was actually attempting to start a conversation. Anything to stop that wretched song.

"Were you always an Angel?'" he asked, the first thing that sprang to his mind.

"A you're ado—What?" Sakura looked up from the window. "What did you say, Syaoran-kun?"

"I asked if you were always an Angel. Were you born that way?"

"N-no. I wasn't born an Angel." Sakura replied, a bit dazed because of the question.

"How did you become one?"

"I… I died. And afterwards, I went to Heaven and became an Angel." She deliberately left out the details of the deal. She didn't know why but she trusted her instinct and chose to keep her mouth shut.

"What's Heaven like?"

"Uh-uh," Sakura shook her finger at him, even though he was looking at the road at that time. "You have to find out for yourself."

"What were like then?" Syaoran sneaked a glance at her, just to see her reaction.

"Um… What I'm like now."

"You mean, you were naïve _before _you died?" he asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't really call it naivety." Sakura told him warily.

"But you do remember what your old life was like."

"Clearly." She confidently replied.

"Were you married?"

"No. But I had the world's best boyfriend," Sakura told him with a hint of pride. Where Eriol was concerned, she was always proud. "If only I hadn't died so early…"

"Hmm… so when he walks in front of you, you'll recognize them?"

"Yup."

"And they'll recognize you?"

"No. Strange as it seems, they'll still remember me but they won't recognize me until I make them, which is to initiate conversation with them." The girl explained, suddenly uncomfortable now that the spotlight's on her. Then again, Syaoran had HAND-OUTS. "That's pretty much how it goes. But what about you, what did you—"

"We're here." Syaoran said abruptly. He stopped in front of large gates. Sakura knew it from the pictures but just like the Li heir's eyes, she couldn't take her eyes off of the real thing. The Li Manor was a majestic one indeed. The gates alone could leave a man in awe with its intricate design and gold finish. The Manor itself was beautiful. There was a large garden in front of it and on it were flowers of different colors and plants of lush green. The house was, needless to say, beautiful. It had pillars of white and a—

"Ah, young master, it's good that you decided to come,"

At the sound of a foreign voice, Sakura immediately willed herself to be invisible. Syaoran though, didn't have the time to notice that. Thus, the poor boy immediately froze up.

"Yes," Syaoran nervously replied.

"Alone again?" the butler joked lightly. Syaoran glanced at the seat beside him. A wave of relief washed over him at the sight of the now empty passenger's seat. He glanced at the butler, one from his childhood, and offered him one of his rare smiles.

"Better luck next time," he grinned.

ooOOoo

"Uncle Syaoran!"

One reason why Syaoran didn't look forward to such dinners was because his nieces and nephews preferred to call him 'Uncle' instead of the 'Syaoran-niichan' he suggested. That, plus the stress that each visit brought made Syaoran feel very old.

"Hello," he patted a child's head. For a fleeting moment, Syaoran wondered where Sakura was and what was she doing. But all thoughts were erased when a familiar voice was heard in the room. The children squealed—a very pleasant yet unpleasant sound for Syaoran—all at the same time.

"Well, you came," Mei Lin entered the room in a red Chinese-inspired dress with a blonde man beside her. Syaoran remembered him as Mei Lin's fiancée but he couldn't remember anything else.

"I had nothing better to do." Syaoran grinned lazily.

"Oh, by the way, this is Rei, my fiancée." Mei Lin thrust her fiancée towards Syaoran. Rei seemed very flustered but he was quick to remedy the situation by offering a hand to shake. Syaoran shook it.

"Nice to meet you," the blonde told him politely.

"You too." Syaoran replied although everything else about him said otherwise.

"What happened to you? What sort of miracle occurred that you decided to abandon your _sacred_ paperwork?" Mei Lin had that smug look on her face again. Probably because he came alone. The two were normally kind to each other and Mei Lin even had Syaoran for her favorite cousin. But recently, the clan heir—for the first time—was disappointing the elders and Mei Lin, being the ultra-competitive person that she was, wanted the elder's attention. Enter Rei, the instant ticket to the elder's right hand. "And don't tell me you haven't a fiancée yet?"

"Oh rub it in, Mei Lin," Syaoran's eldest sister sashayed in the room. "Syaoran visits only once in a while. Let him enjoy them."

"Thanks," Syaoran whispered to her. Mei Lin hmp-ed and left the room, tugging Rei along. "So, how's family life?"

"Hectic. The kids seem to be more hyperactive by each day." She replied. "And their appetites are getting larger by the minute. And they seem to have this craving for expensive yet worthless toys."

"You have the money," Syaoran reminded her.

"For a person who works twenty-four-seven for it, you don't seem to value it that much,"

"I don't have children."

"Because you, little brother, are yet to have a wife." The eldest Li pointed out. "Come on, Syaoran. You're smart and tolerable and your looks are acceptable. Plus, you're rich. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a wife. That'll make Papa happy."

"I don't want a wife," Syaoran said exasperatedly.

"Uncle Syaoran, Uncle Syaoran!" a little girl in a red frilly dress tugged at Syaoran's shirt. "What did you get me for Christmas?"

Syaoran smiled warmly at his niece and gave her head a small pat. "You know what? I got you this large teddy bear, waiting for you up in your room,"

The girl's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Syaoran nodded. At his smile, the girl squealed and gave Syaoran a loud, wet, kiss. Then she ran upstairs as fast as she could. Syaoran chuckled.

"You clearly adore the kids." His sister remarked wryly.

"The kids are very high-maintenance." Syaoran told her. "And you, of all people, know that I am not a patient person."

It suddenly occurred to Syaoran that he hadn't noticed the changes in his relationship with his family. Before, he could still remember the torment he had to face with his sisters. There was endless cheek-pinching and high-pitched girl squeals. Now, his sisters were more civil, probably because Syaoran wasn't the cute little boy he used to be. The same goes for his parents. Both are—

"Syaoran!"

Speaking of the devil.

"Mother," Syaoran bowed slightly towards his mother, who was wearing a red silk blouse and a long white skirt. Her ebony black hair was tied up in a bun, her eyes emotionless.

"It's good to see you've arrived," she said with that unreadable expression of hers. "But once again, I am disappointed to see that you came alone."

"I apologize, mother. I have been busy with work."

Syaoran inwardly grimaced as his mother started her work-is-important-but-get-a-wife speech. Another reason why he hated visiting his family so much was that they'll always nag him to get a wife. Through his years of bachelorhood, he made it clear that he had no room for women in his life. Much more a wife.

Thankfully, dinner chose to be served before his mother can reach the climax of her speech. At dinner, the Li heir was quite confident that his mother wouldn't talk much—because she had something inside her mouth. There was a uniform seating arrangement within the family, something that has been implemented long before Syaoran was born (or even conceived), whether deliberate or not, Syaoran was placed beside Mei Lin's fiancée, with Mei Lin on Rei's opposite side.

Dinner began with an assortment of soups and just before the first course was served, Mei Lin sent a lethal glare to Syaoran, who ignored it. Mei Lin ay be a rival at times, but she's no challenge. She never proved to be a large threat to Syaoran. She was merely a trivial thing. Something to overcome, something to amuse himself with. It was ironic that they managed to get along.

"So, where do you work?" Syaoran asked Rei casually.

"I work at the bank."

"I see." Syaoran looked up thoughtfully. "A banker, huh?"

"And what about your—"

"Ah, Syaoran-_kun_, your soup's getting cold." Mei Lin said with exaggerated sweetness. "And Rei-kun must be getting hungry too."

Syaoran smiled sweetly at Mei Lin, something that someone should take a picture of, for it may not happen again. The Li heir had a very rude habit of asking a lot of questions to anyone who could impose a threat to him or to his would-be position in the clan. Although he may not look it, he does deem himself a great nag.

He must've got it from his mother.

"Syaoran," his father said in his deep voice. "I must say that I am proud that you are managing the family business well, but I expected you to come here with a woman."

Syaoran bowed his head in silent apology.

"If you can't find a woman to marry, I swear that I'll find one for you by next week. She'll be ready—"

Syaoran's head snapped up. "B-but Father… Next week?"

"He's right, dear." Syaoran's mother said softly. "Why delay further? Let's make it this weekend. I know of some girls who are willing to offer their hands in marriage…"

"This weekend?" Syaoran echoed incredulously. He hoped someone would intervene. Someone. Anyone.

"Hmm… Brillinat idea. Let's call them up—"

"Excuse me, ma'am, sir, but someone is looking for Li Syaoran-sama," a maid announced. All heads spun around, in hopes to find out who it was. Syaoran couldn't care less. He was so damn thankful for whoever called for him.

He followed the maid to the living room, wondering who it could be. He was contented with the assumption that it was someone from work.

Although what he saw next was definitely not someone from work.

"Ehehehe," Sakura laughed nervously.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed as he grabbed her arm roughly. The girl proved to be immune to such treatment. "You aren't supposed to be here."

"I know. But something's wrong. I wanted to turn invisible. But I can't. It's like something's stopping me. Somehow, I landed here." The girl explained sheepishly.

"If anyone sees you, I'll—"

"Well, dear cousin, who might this be?" a teasing voice asked. Syaoran groaned. Sakura looked at the newcomer. "I thought you didn't have time for women,"

Syaoran opened his mouth to speak but at Mei Lin's statement, his whole family crowded the living room in two seconds flat. Great. They had an audience. Now he can't drive her away.

"Syaoran?" came his mother's voice.

"Should I call on your future fiancée?" his father asked above the murmurs.

"Future fiancée?" Sakura raised her eyebrows. Syaoran's glare told her to shut up.

"She's…" Syaoran began.

"What? Spit it out. If she's not intimately related to you, I'd better call on my friend's daughter and—"

"NO!" Syaoran yelled. Realzing his disrespectfulness, he lowered his tone. "No. No need. I don't need to meet your friend's daughter, or anyone else's daughter. Because this, this girl is the one I'm going to marry."

Even with Syaoran's silent order (transmitted through his glare), Sakura didn't have the chance to stop herself. "Eeeehhhh?"

Her voice was drowned by a thunderous applause.

_Tsuzuku_

A/N: Hope this chappie was long enough. Also, I would like to inform you guys that this is not proofread or beta-ed or whatever-ed so there might be some grammatical errors lurking within the chapter. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed reading it. XD

Reviews pleeeeaaaassse! XD


	8. Lies

**HEAVEN SENT**

Chapter 8: Lies

"What was that?" Sakura asked heatedly the moment Syaoran ushered her away from his prying relatives. "Syaoran-kun! You lied for the second time tonight!"

"Wait 'til you hear them all," Syaoran muttered to himself. He got everyone to lay off Sakura (and him) for the meantime and he also managed to lock themselves inside his old room in the Mansion. "I had no choice,"

"But I'm supposed to be dead!" Sakura reminded him. "Dead people don't… get affianced! What if they found out you're dating a… a… a ghost?"

"They won't. I'll make sure this is the last time they'll see you." He assured her. "And me."

Sakura frowned. That seemed like a pretty shallow reason to cut off one's ties with the family. And Syaoran can't possibly avoid them forever, right?

"Syaoran-kun—" she began.

"I know what you're going to say." He cut her. "And I will think of a way out of this. But right now, I want you to brace yourself. I'm sure my mother will ambush you sometime tonight."

"What will I tell her?"

"Let's see…" the Li started pacing around the room. "We met on an April day—you choose the day."

"One. I want it to be on the first of April," Sakura immediately replied.

"Fine. We met on an April day—you accidentally dented one of the company cars with your scooter. You decide what happens after that. After that, I proposed to you on the twenty-fourth of December while in the Tokyo Tower."

Sakura nodded, slowly memorizing the facts.

"Make things up if you have to," he instructed. "I'll go now,"

And he did.

Sakura looked around, trying to soothe her mind from the stress tonight brought. Weirdly, Syaoran's room looked very empty. There was a large bed in the middle of the room, a door leading to a bathroom, a dresser, a desk, a chair and a table lamp. Then again, from what Sakura knows, he didn't have much time for distractions.

She picked up some papers on the desk. They looked old, from the yellow hue the corners of the paper possessed, to the faded out writing on it. She could only make out a few words but as whole, it didn't make sense to her at all.

The girl was still looking around some more when three sharp raps on the door interrupted her. Sakura hurriedly opened the door.

"Good evening, ma'am. The Madam requests your presence at the dining hall as soon as you're ready." The maid said with a bow.

"I'll be right down." Sakura replied uncertainly. She had never received such treatment and frankly, she was quite overwhelmed by it all. "Please tell her that."

"Yes, Ma'am." The maid bowed and left.

ooOOoo

"Where did she come from?" Syaoran's mother whispered to her eldest daughter. "Syaoran did a good job in hiding her, don't you think?"

"Yes. Maybe she's the reason why he keeps refusing all those girls you pair up with him,"

"But why does he hide her? Maybe she's a commoner."

"Or a criminal,"

"A divorcee,"

"An alien,"

The mother narrowed her eyes. "A possibility, but Syaoran's standards are very high—whether it be in his job or in his women. I doubt that the girl's less than perfect."

"We'll find out soon, nee?"

The two Li women looked up at the sight of Sakura entering the dining hall. By now, the family dispersed, and the dining hall was empty save for the three women. Both the mother and the daughter took no time in surveying Sakura from the tip of her auburn hair to her toes. Sakura didn't seem to notice—or if she did, she managed to look like she didn't—and walked in front of the older Li and then bowed low.

"Good evening," she told her. "I must say you were quite a surprise to all of us, young lady. What is your name?"

"Kinomoto Sakura, ma'am," Sakura automatically replied.

"A pleasure to meet you, Sakura-san. This is Li Kisa A/N: Okay. I have to set this straight. If the names of Syaoran's sisters are available, I must apologize for being ignorant of them. I simply can't hold on much longer with the "Li woman/elder Li or whatever else I used to imply the mother-and-daughter pair." If you do know their real names or if you happen to come across a name much better than the one I invented, please tell me! I suck at names! o , my eldest child."

"Good evening," Kisa smiled. Sakura blushed and bowed again. "Please. Take a seat, Sakura-san."

"Yes. Do take a seat, my dear."

Sakura obeyed and took a seat opposite the two Li women. She was nervous. She never had to meet other people's families before. Except for Tomoyo's, that is. What makes things worse is that she was going to lie _again_! Now she had a supposed-fiancée and had an overly romantic love story with him. She never experienced this with Eriol. He had kept mum about his family and chose to divert the topic whenever it strayed on them.

Right. She was really nervous now.

"_I can't do it," Sakura moaned, throwing lightly the puzzle pieces that just won't fit. Eriol smiled beside her. He took the pieces and returned them to Sakura's open hands. _

"_Of course you can," he told her. "You can do anything. _Anything_ you set your mind to. And you know that whatever happens, whatever you choose to do, I'll be here."_

_Sakura gave Eriol a shy smile in reply. "Thanks, Eriol-kun. You always succeed in making me do things I can't imagine myself doing."_

Like being someone's Guardian Angel just to live again.

"So dear, how long do you know my Syaoran?" The older Li asked.

"Roughly three years now." Sakura smiled. If she was going to pull this off, she was going to pull this off with grace. "He and I met when my scooter accidentally dented on of his company's cars. He asked me to see him about the damage and I fell for him right away. After that, I sent him cookies on Christmas for being so kind during my deliberation. It became a routine for both of us and before we knew it, we were dating."

"How romantic," Kisa sighed dreamily. "Ah! Where did he propose? He never was the romantic type. He probably did it with a bunch of papers in his hands, huh?"

Sakura smiled at that because it was true. But she had to go with the plan here. "I was quite surprised myself when he called me on Christmas Eve the year before. He took me to the top of the Tokyo Tower, with almost all of Japan below us, and kneeled. It was such a shock to me that it took me minutes to say yes,"

"Oh my. Who would've thought that Syaoran could be such a romantic when he's with the right woman?" Syaoran's mother gushed. But then she spotted something. "But where's your ring, dear?"

"M-my ring?" Sakura echoed. "About my ring… Syaoran…"

The two looked at her intently.

"I…um…Syaoran-kun… he said that he was going to get the ring resized. The first time I wore it, it was too large," Sakura told them.

Inwardly, she winced for having lied again. _I don't mean to lie._

"Well, I knew that there was going to be a flaw in little Syaoran's plan. He often gets frustrated when that happens. Did he throw a fit at the Tokyo Tower?" Kisa asked excitedly.

"Ahahaha," Sakura laughed lightly. "He didn't, actually. He just apologized and tucked it back in his pocket."

_I don't mean to._

"That's un-Syaoran-like," Kisa remarked with a finger on her chin. "Right, ma?"

"Yes. Usually Syaoran would never apologize blatantly. But I guess we've never seen him like you did…"

"What did you like about him?"

_I don't mean to._

"Syaoran-kun is unlike anyone I have ever met. He can be amazingly stubborn—"

"Amen to that!" Kisa grinned. "I mean, sorry. Please continue."

"He's always defensive and proud but just when I think I hate him, he does something that makes me love him more and more."

_Now that, _Sakura said firmly to herself as well as to any nearby Angels who were reading her mind, _wasn't a lie. You can't pin that one on me._

ooOOoo

"She's pretty,"

Syaoran glanced behind him and saw Meiling's fiancée grinning towards Sakura.

"Of course she is," the Li replied. He only noticed it now too. From his viewpoint, he could see her talking animatedly to his mother and sister. And if he didn't know the Li women any better, he could say that they were actually believing her.

_For an Angel, you sure can lie._

"What did you like about her?"

"Why do you ask?" Syaoran asked suspiciously.

"She doesn't look like a smart one to me," Rei smirked. "What did you see in her?"

_Bastard. What exactly did he say to Meiling to get her to marry him?_

"You know those days when you just feel like killing yourself?" Syaoran smiled at that. "I had a lot of those days. But she somehow just stops me from thinking of death. She makes me want to live in spite of the world's cruelty."

Syaoran gulped.

"And I love her," he continued stiffly. "Try to find a girl like that,"

And then Rei just left. Well, Syaoran never thought of him as someone with manners. And besides, Guardian Angels can't always guard themselves. Which is why Li Syaoran is here.

ooOOoo

"Y-your mother…" she began nervously. "…She's looking for a ring,"

"I have one," he told her pointedly. "What did you tell her when she asked for it?"

"I told her that you… you had it resized." She said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"You lied?" Syaoran grinned, amused at how things turned out. He put emphasis on the wrd "lied" and looked at her intently. She was obviously flustered.

"I didn't mean to… I didn't want to… but for Syaoran-kun… I…" she stammered.

"You…?"

"I had to," she whispered. He heard it. Loud and clear.

"I'm honored. It's not everyday that an Angel sins for me." He said, half-sarcastic, half-serious. The fact that she was an Angel was still surreal for him to believe. Even with the wings. It was too far-fetched. Too impossible.

And yet, here she was. A living proof of the impossible.

"Thanks," he said.

And her lips, naughty as they were, couldn't help but smile—just a little though. Just a little.

_Tsuzuku_

A/N: Sorry if this chapter is short. I promise to make the next one longer. Leave a review:)


	9. Good Mornings

**HEAVEN SENT**

Chapter 9: Good Mornings

"Here," Syaoran threw a box at Sakura's lap. She was reading one of Syaoran's papers on the floor, in hopes of understanding him and his work, both of whish she was completely clueless about.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Open it to find out," he replied matter-of-factly.

Childlike, she opened the box slowly, all the while taking small peeks whenever she could. It was small and was wrapped in fancy paper—with angels on it. She didn't want to rip the paper off so she tried to open it without doing so.

She was unsuccessful, unfortunately.

"Just rip the damn thing off," he told her.

"Don't curse," she told him sternly before returning to the unwrapping of her box. At long last, she was able to open it without much damage to the paper.

She opened the box next and then gasped at what she saw.

A ring.

A beautiful, beautiful ring. It was a simple gold band with a small diamond embedded in its middle. It felt warm in Sakura's hands and its simplicity seemed to amaze the girl so much. She can't stop touching it.

"Oh Syaoran-kun, it's beautiful," she gushed. "Where did you get it?"

"It's my mother's," he replied. "She gave it to me months ago, hoping that I'll finally find someone to give it to. It's yours. You'll never know when my mother will show up and we can't afford you lying again. Heaven might close its gates on you,"

Sakura ignored the last part of his statement.

"I'll return it to you," she said. This time, he ignored her.

"Well, I have work to do. Go to sleep or something."

"W-work? But you just came home from work!"

Syaoran shrugged and entered his room. Sakura should've expected that. He's always like that, and in the short time that they've been together, he already established that it was _he_ who decides when the conversation was over. When he deemed that it was over, he'd turn on his heel and leave. Or maybe shut the door at your face.

Either way, Sakura knew she was getting used to it.

ooOOoo

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura greeted cheerfully the next morning. "Wake up!"

"H-huh?" Syaoran asked groggily. There was a blurred angel… beside him… in bed. Angel. Him. Bed. "Wha—?"

"I made you breakfast!" she announced cheerfully. "Here, eat up!"

Sakura placed the tray she had on her lap. She helped Syaoran sit up on his bed (which was black and white, just like everything else in his room). He seemed uncooperative at first but he sat up straight anyway. In front of him were a plate of toast, eggs, something he didn't know what and a glass of orange juice.

"Eat up, Syaoran-kun, we have a big day ahead of us," she said excitedly. "Here. Would you like me to—"

"Unh…" Syaoran groaned in reply.

"I made breakfast," Sakura continued. "It's to give you lots of energy. We'll probably be out the whole day so you need the extra strength. You don't want to be calling for a break every now and then, right?"

It seems that it was only now that Syaoran woke up.

"W-what?" he managed to say.

"We're going out today," The Angel supplied for him.

"By out, you mean…" he trailed off, as if scared to know the answer.

"Out. You know the first time we went out, we didn't get the chance to do anything. So I took the liberty to reschedule it today," the cherry blossom babbled on.

"What?" Syaoran repeated for the nth time this morning. "Who gave you the—"

"I called the people at your office," the girl assured him. "They said that they'll move all your appointments today to tomorrow."

Syaoran groaned in frustration and accidentally spilled his breakfast on the floor. Sakura gasped while Syaoran tried to get out of bed. Something pulled him back, though. And that something turned out to be Sakura.

"Why?" Sakura asked. "Why can't you leave work?"

"Because it's the only thing that matters," he replied. He turned to look at her and gently removed her hand from his arm. "Look, I don't know what you plan to do or why you're even here but work is the only thing I consider important—"

"Important?" Sakura choked out. "More important than yourself? Than your family? Than… than everything else? Y-you know what? I've never stayed in a job for more than a year. I've always felt like a failure, especially to my brother who was the one who raised me ever since my parents died. I wanted to try harder each and every time but I seem to be doing a good job in failing more than anything else. But you know what? My brother didn't care. I didn't care. The man I love didn't even ask about it. Achievements may measure a man's worth but not all of them are written on paper and especially not on money,"

Syaoran was indifferent to all this. "You know nothing,"

At this, Sakura smiled sadly. "On the contrary, I know everything. Did you know that I was required to memorize everything about you before I was sent here? I even got excited back then, to be someone who'll help other people. I want to help you so much,"

"I don't want your help,"

And then he left.

"I forgot to greet you good morning," Sakura whispered to the empty room.

ooOOoo

Tomoyo felt something. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was a nagging thought in her head that was commanding her to be bothered. It has been exactly a week since her meeting with Eriol. And frankly, she didn't want it to happen again. Not that Eriol was repulsive, he was far from it, actually. But he evoked… _things_ in her that she didn't want to feel. He reminded her of Sakura, for one. And he was… so… perfect as a man that Tomoyo found it hard NOT to like him.

But he was off-limits. No matter what.

"Daidouji-sama," her secretary's voice called out. "Call for you on line one,"

"Thank you," Tomoyo replied. Her hand then shot out and picked up the phone. "Daidouji Tomoyo speaking, hello?"

"Daidouji-san?"

_Oh. Holy. Crap._

"Hiriigizawa-kun?" she answered, almost nervously. "Is it about the order you placed?"

"Oh no," his casual cool voice replied. "I was wondering if you were free for lunch,"

"L-lunch?" Tomoyo parroted. Ever since Sakura's death, Tomoyo refused to be involved with anyone—especially Eriol. He may seem like the perfect solution to everything but he's her best friend's boyfriend.

And death cannot change that.

"Yes. Lunch." Eriol confirmed. "Are you busy?"

"N—Yes," Tomoyo lied. If they weren't on the telephone, Eriol would've found out. Thank God for Alexander Graham Bell. Somewhere inside her, she knew she wanted this. Hell, an attractive, smart, witty guy is asking her out. What girl wouldn't want that?

But Tomoyo told herself firmly to think otherwise. She always had it easy in life and now that she was required (at least she thinks so) to make a sacrifice, she's going to do it.

"I'll just drop by, then," he finally said. She could almost hear him smile on the phone and she scolded herself for even thinking of him in that sense. What a second…

_What? Drop by? That wasn't part of the plan! He was supposed to leave me alone and I should be hanging up by now—_

"Y-you'll what?"

"Drop by. There's something I need to give you,"

"O-oh. Okay then." The Daidouji heiress didn't know whether she should be delighted or disappointed. Half of her really, really wants to welcome Eriol in her life as something more than her best friend's love interest. But the other half is a bit reluctant.

"I'll see you later, then."

ooOOoo

Sakura could never win against boredom. Which is why she found herself cleaning up Syaoran's apartment for no reason. Back in her pre-Guardian Angel days, she kept herself occupied by tidying things up. The girl just found joy in cleaning things up. She didn't know why exactly and she didn't want to press it further. When she found a feather duster and some rags, she started to work.

And Syaoran was in his room the whole time.

When she was done, Sakura sat on Syaoran's couch. She started to think about things—specifically Eriol. If Eriol were here, he'd probably smile that smile of his and ask Sakura to go out for a walk. It didn't matter when. It didn't matter where. He would easily know when her mood changes and when she was feeling down.

She missed him so much.

She sneaked a glance at the telephone. Sakura was sorely tempted to do something she'd never really done before—disobey the rules. The girl wanted nothing more than to pick up the telephone and tell Eriol everything she felt—disappointment, frustration, anger…

"Hey," a gruff voice said. In surprise, Sakura dropped the feather duster to the floor. Syaoran coughed and saw what had fallen. "What the hell are you doing?"

"A-ah, Syaoran-kun, I was cleaning up…"

"Anyway," Syaoran begin. "Come on, we're going out," he tugged at her sleeve.

"O-out?" Sakura echoed. "But you said…"

"You wanted to go out, didn't you?" he regarded her coldly. "We're going out,"

"R-really? You…you want to go out?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "Are you sure? B-but what about work?"

"I can't very well go to work now, can I?" he told her calmly. "Come on, let's go,"

Sakura smiled at him. "Thank you, Syaoran-kun,"

He didn't reply. Then again, Sakura already expected that.

ooOOoo

He didn't know what was happening. He was in an unknown world, filled with little children running around the playground, ice cream of various colors, kites of every imaginable design and a girl—an Angel—sitting beside him. Everything was foreign, everything was new and Syaoran had to reign his curiosity before it went loose.

He glanced at her—what was her name again?—and felt a small pang of envy for her. She was carefree and unrestricted. Ready to face life minus the ball and chain. She, unlike him, was free.

But he wasn't blind either he could see she was having a hard time fulfilling her duties. All because he was being a bastard about it.

"H-hey," Syaoran began nervously. Sakura looked at him with an easy smile on her face. "I know I've been a class A bastard these past few days…"

Sakura frowned at the word "bastard."

"But I just want you to know that I'm used to being alone. I'm used to eating food that may someday kill me and I'm used to people not caring about me. So you see…"

Syaoran had to swallow his pride while saying all this. It was a very hard thing to do because he never had to do it before. Sakura could only wait for him to finish.

"I'm not used to people caring for me, or cleaning my house, cooking my breakfast and even pretending to be my fiancée. I don't know how to act when… somebody does it,"

Sakura could only smile. Then she leaned to whisper in his ear.

"You know, when I don't know what to do, I don't do anything at all,"

Syaoran smiled. When Sakura saw it, she smiled even wider. "Or if you prefer to smile, that'll be okay too."

"I'm afraid I don't know anything about the world you're offering me… uh…"

"Sakura. My name is Sakura." She reminded him gently. "And there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here to show you. That's why they sent me."

Syaoran's smile never left him that day.

ooOOoo

"Here's something Sakura-san left in my place. I thought you'd like to see it,"

Eriol placed a box in front of Tomoyo. Tomoyo just looked at the box and then at Eriol. A silent "What is it?" question hung in the air but Eriol chose to let the girl see for herself. Indeed, Tomoyo proceeded to carefully open the box, slightly dreading but overly curious of its contents.

Tomoyo couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a sky-blue dress inside the box. There was a note attached to it, with the familiar handwriting the girl knew by heart.

_It's not fair if you get to design everything I wear. I designed this especially for you. Merry Christmas._

It seems that of all the gifts Sakura had bought before the accident, Tomoyo's was the only one gift wrapped. Years of loneliness and pent-up emotions brought Tomoyo to tears. Without really realizing it, she was leaning on Eriol's shoulder, crying her hear out. And she didn't realize that Eriol's hand was patting her back the whole time.

"Thank you," Tomoyo told him minutes after. "And I'm sorry for bursting out like that. I didn't want to just—cry like that. And I—"

"Daidouji-san, it's okay," Eriol assured. "I know that Sakura-san was important to you so it's totally alright,"

"I feel… embarrassed still," Tomoyo persisted.

"It's really alright, Daidouji-san," Eriol assured.

"I know… that this is such a stupid question and you might totally hate me for it but I just have to ask, do you love Sakura?" Tomoyo flinched at her own question. Eriol merely smiled.

"I loved her. She was a part of my life and I'll never forget her, of course,"

Tomoyo smiled. "I'm glad you said that."

ooOOoo

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura knocked at his door. There was a grunt inside. And an undecipherable one, at that. Sakura frowned. "I'm coming in, okay?"

The girl saw her Guardian Angel-ee in bed, with his cheeks flushed and his face frowning. She rushed to his side and placed a hand on his forehead. She gasped.

"Syaoran-kun, you're sick!"

"I think I may have had too much of those candies a while ago," he groaned.

"I'm so sorry. Wait here. I'll get some wet towels," Sakura quickly gathered some towels from Syaoran's dresser and doused them with cold water. Afterwards, she also took a basin of basin of cold water and rushed back to Syaoran's room.

"I didn't want you to get sick," Sakura whispered as she was feeding Syaoran his dinner that night. She felt really guilty now. It was supposed to be a day of fun and laughter.

"It was probably the candy's fault, not yours," he told her. "Of course, you don't want me sick. You think they'll accept you back in Heaven if they find out about it?"

"It's not that," she replied fiercely. "I really wanted you to enjoy today."

"I did."

"But still—"

"I'll be fine." Syaoran assured her. "I have to go to work tomorrow."

"Work?" Sakura frowned at him. "You can't go to work! You're sick!"

"I go to work no matter what state I'm in," he shrugged. "That's what I've been doing for the past few years,"

"I can't let you go if you're sick," she told him stubbornly.

"I have to go," Syaoran replied equally as stubborn. "Sakura-san, I hope you understand that,"

_Sakura-san_, Sakura was taken aback. It was the first time he ever mentioned her name and he even bothered to add an honorific to it. She felt herself smile and for awhile, she could almost forget the situation at hand. But…

"I do, but please understand that you'll get more sick if you go to work," she was desperate. She was begging. She was—

"Don't cry," he warned hoarsely. "Don't cry on me,"

The girl let out a telltale sniff, the beginning of what Syaoran expected to be a flood of tears. He was vulnerable to tears. Whenever he wouldn't do something his mother wanted, she'd cry and he'd give in. It was the same thing with his sisters and especially Mei Ling. The ladies in his family didn't know his weakness but he did. And he was quite sure he was going to give in if this Angel started to cry.

"Syaoran-kun," the more Heavenly sniffed. "I don't want you to go to work,"

"But I—" he began. He watched as her emerald green eyes brimmed with tears, her hands cradling his gently. "I just got off work yesterday."

"You're sick. Sick people don't work," Sakura told him. Then, as if Heaven-sent, an idea struck her. "I know,"

"You know what?"

_If matters call for it, you can shapeshift o anything your imagination wants. You can turn into a cat or a bird or even your own father. When you shapeshift though, your ability to become invisible will be temporary unuseable. Be careful._

"You can be in both places at once!" the Angel announced gleefully.

"I can?"

"Yes. You can stay here at home while I shapeshift into you and I'll—"

"No,"

"What? Why not?"

"Because you don't know anything about my office work," Syaoran told her. "You wouldn't even last an hour unscathed there,"

"But I—"

"Look, the world of commerce is a jungle. There are wild animals lurking in the shadows, ready to tackle their prey. It's a simple world where man eats man in his search for glory. You are not going there,"

_tsuzuku_

A/N: Hurrah! I'm done with this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Reviews please! XD And if you have any suggestions or comments on the story, don't hesitate to share them with me.


	10. Switch

HEAVEN SENT

Chapter 10: Switch

Kinomoto Sakura found herself staring at Li Syaoran's face while he slept. He looked so peaceful that she just couldn't resist. She could still remember the sound of her name on his lips, the way he acted so unselfish and responsible towards her, the way he really is. The Li may look (and act) rudely and coldly at times but inside, he's all heart.

"It must've been hard for you," Sakura whispered softly to the sleeping Syaoran. "Even with your whole clan behind you, you're still alone,"

Almost unconsciously, he hand went to brush a few strands of Syaoran's brown hair. The girl was once again mesmerized by his features. There was something familiar about it. Something cozy. Something homey.

"What the hell are you doing?" said Syaoran's groggy voice.

Sakura jumped in surprise. "Uh… I wasn't staring at you… or anything,"

"Huh?"

"I mean… I was… uh… checking your temperature," Sakura lied, quite unconvincingly. She had the telltale signs of lying: stammering, avoiding eye contact and lip-biting. Her green eyes kept its gaze at Syaoran's lamp. Not at Syaoran.

"Riiiight." Syaoran drawled. "You sure you weren't staring at me?"

Sakura blushed. What the—how can she bush? She was supposed to be dead. Do dead people have blood coursing in their veins? No, because they're dead. Just… no.

"No,"

"You sure?" he taunted with a lazy grin.

"Go back to sleep. You need your rest," this time, it was Sakura who left Syaoran behind, casting only a smile before closing the door behind her. Syaoran was grinning the last time she saw him that night.

"You sure can lie," he whispered with a smile.

Behind the door, Sakura was flushed (although she didn't know how that happened, for the life of her) and was breathing heavily.

"I lied." She told herself. "I lied."

ooOOoo

Syaoran woke up with a major headache only to find out that his papers were missing. Not only his papers, his briefcase too and his clothes for work, even. With his head buzzing, he navigated his way through his fairly small flat and he came up with another conclusion. Sakura was missing. But there was a note on the kitchen counter.

_Syaoran-kun,_

_I checked your temperature this morning and I found out that you're still sick. You can't go to work in such conditions which is why I went to your office for you. I hope you won't get angry. I promise to cook something delicious for dinner tonight._

_Sakura_

"She. Never. Listens." Syaoran growled. In a few, quick strides, he managed to grab the telephone and punch angrily at some carefully chosen numbers. There were very few times when Syaoran wastes his time to pick up the phone, if not for work-related purposes.

Then again, according to Sakura's note, she was part of work now.

"Hello?" came Syaoran's voice on the other end.

"What the hell are you doing there?" Syaoran punctuated each word heavily that it was hard to miss the fact that he was very upset. And very sick.

"Ah Syaoran-kun," Sakura said in Syaoran's voice. Needless to say, it sounded weird to both their ears. "How's your fever? Are you feeling better? Have you taken your medicine?"

"What are you doing there?" Syaoran repeated through gritted teeth.

"You were sick so I went to work without telling you. That's what we talked about last night, right?"

"Talking to your girlfriend, Li-san?" came a feminine voice in the background from Sakura-Syaoran's side.

Syaoran's eyes widened. _Holy crap!_ "Sakura, go home immediately. That's an order!"

Sakura-Syaoran wasn't really paying attention to Syaoran's said order. She was too busy covering up for herself with some half-baked lies. In her head, she knew that she was sinning because of this huge truckload of lies but how could she help Syaoran if she told the truth?

"Actually, I was talking to my… uhm… lizard-sitter," Sakura-Syaoran replied to Syaoran's secretary, Tendou Nanami.

"Lizard-sitter?" the girl asked confusedly. "You have a lizard, sir?"

"Yeah," Sakura-Syaoran said with a nervous laugh. "I just bought one last night. You'll never know when you're going to need a lizard, you know. You never know when you're going to need lizard… er… scales… or maybe… uh… lizard eggs. I just want to be sure."

Nanami smiled sweetly and bowed before she left.

"You are a _terrible_ liar," Syaoran told her.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very good at it, you see."

"I can hear it too," the Li said bitterly. "What did you do so far? I hope you're not ruining my reputation there!"

"Of course not!" the Angel-turned-Syaoran clone replied hotly. "All I did was…"

"_Good morning, Li-sama,"_

_Sakura-Syaoran smiled at random people, although all of them looked shocked—if not horrified—at the Angel's way of replying to their greetings. In hopes of erasing the dreadful looks on Syaoran's coworker's faces, Sakura-Syaoran brought out a large lunch box._

"_Anyone want cookies? I baked them this morning." Sakura-Syaoran chirped. Instead of wiping those horrified looks away, they became worse. "You don't like cookies? They're low-fat, I promise. I saw this one show which uses this special kind of sweetener to reduce the carbohydrates we receive and when I tried it, I could really see the difference in my figure…"_

_ooOOoo_

"_Li-san, the construction workers would like to know what color the new conference room will be," a man with a heavily-built body and flashing green eyes asked. He was looking at Sakura-Syaoran in a weird way. As if he was waiting for her to trip, or something like it._

"_Hmm…" Sakura-Syaoran brought a hand to her chin. "I think pink would be a lovely color, don't you?"_

"_P-pink? But I thought, sir, that your choices were beige and cream," the man, whose name was still unknown to Sakura-Syaoran because it was never mentioned, replied. He looked surprised, to say the least._

"_What dreadful colors. Pink will surely brighten up anyone's day. Make sure it's pastel pink and not hot pink. Pastel pink always brings out smiles while hot pink damages the eyes. Don't you agree?" She smiled at him._

"_Y-yes sir," the man replied stiffly. "Pink it is,"_

_ooOOoo_

"_Li Syaoran-san?"_

"_Speaking. Who is this, please?"_

"_Yamamoto Ryu of Yamamoto Incorporated. I have decided to agree with your compliances but in turn, I need your presence at a dinner party this Friday. You must bring an escort with you, my wife insists."_

"_Escort?" Sakura-Syaoran echoed dumbly._

"_Girlfriend, wife, fiancée… whatever you call her."_

"_Oh. All right. You can count on that, Yamamoto Ryu-san!"_

"_Great. You do have one, right? A girlfriend?"_

"_Oh yes. I do. I really do. Don't worry, sir, we'll both be there!"_

_ooOOoo_

"_These are lovely flowers," Sakura-Syaoran admired the vase of flowers on his coffee table. It was a rough jumble of red, yellow, orange, pink and white. She touched the petals of one particular flower only to find…_

"_Bee! Aaahh! Get away from me, you bad bee!" she ran in circles in his office, but no matter where she went, the black-and-yellow fiend seemed to enjoy following her._

"_Aaaahhh! Get away, bee!" as a last resort, Sakura-Syaoran ran outside Syaoran's office shouting incoherent phrases about evil bees. All the while, she was earning curious gazes from on-lookers. _

"What have you been doing?" Syaoran exclaimed over the phone.

"Calm down, Syaoran-kun," Sakura-Syaoran reassured him. "I didn't do anything you'd be ashamed of, A/N: Sakura wasn't lying when she said this because she personally thought that it was true. But no one said that there was someone who agreed with her."

"I'm coming there,"

"No. You should rest. You're sick!"

"I'm all healed. I'd better do my job before you—"

"No," Sakura-Syaoran said stubbornly. "I don't want you to get sick again. Please stay in bed and just rest. I'll do everything you need to do,"

Sakura-Syaoran heaved a sigh as she placed down the telephone in its cradle. She somehow convinced Syaoran to rest and let her do his job for at least a day. She instinctively ran a hand through her hair only to remember that it wasn't her hair she was running her hair through. A chuckle escaped her lips instead of her usual giggle and it was Syaoran's voice that she heard instead of her own. It was also then that Sakura realized that she liked Syaoran's laugh.

She laughed again, just to hear the sound again. And she laughed again. And again. And again. And—

"Li-san, is something wrong?" Nanami returned in the room with a pile of papers in her hands.

"Wrong?" Sakura-Syaoran echoed, almost dumbly.

"You were laughing a while ago," she actually looked worried. For Li Syaoran's sanity, that is.

"Oh. That. Well I remembered this…uh… particularly embarrassing moment my cousin was in. You see, there was a time when she insisted on wearing this long red dress and then she accidentally stepped on it when she excused herself to go to the bathroom. She fell face-first on our desert. That cracks me up _every time_." Sakura-Syaoran laughed nervously. In truth, she was the one who fell on the pudding that time. Good thing Eriol was a gentleman that he didn't laugh—that much.

Nanami merely nodded. "Anyway, here are the reports on the vacant lot near the National Bank that you requested. If you would, please look through them and afterwards make a formal decision. Then we can finally start on that planned shopping mall," Nanami bowed and then left.

"Thank you," Sakura-Syaoran said a bit too late. She was about to start working with the papers when the telephone started ringing. Thinking it was Syaoran, Sakura-Syaoran hurriedly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Kinomoto-san, how have you been?" a female—and familiar—voice answered.

Sakura-Syaoran's eyes widened. "H-H-H-hera-san?"

"Yes. It's good to have finally contacted you," the female Angel said.

"B-but… you called me—" Sakura-Syaoran was in an obvious state of shock and she obviously lost her ability to string words to form a comprehendible sentence.

"Yes, I did," Hera agreed.

"Is this divine intervention? Have I—Am I—"

"It seems you have been accumulating a number of lies lately," Hera began. "And the Council is very worried with the kind of image you're projecting Li Syaoran. You do know that you are required to provide a very innocent and sinless image,"

"A-am I being punished for it?" Sakura-Syaoran asked nervously. When she heard that tone in Syaoran's voice, she decided that it didn't suit his voice at all.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. By tomorrow, all your abilities as a Guardian Angel will be temporarily removed. You still won't be recognized by other people, but other than that, everything else is gone."

"Everything?" Sakura-Syaoran echoed. It was becoming an irritating habit for her.

"Yes."

And then she hung up. Was Heaven always this frank?

ooOOoo

"This," Sakura-Syaoran panted. "Is harder than I thought."

In front of her were piles of paper waiting to be read. She did read them and at the same time, she was secretly making notes of what she read as well as her opinion on the subject. Afterwards, she faxed it to Syaoran back at home. Her hand was, needless to say, sore after a couple of hours.

"Li-san," a voice interrupted. "Here's your coffee,"

"Oh," Sakura-Syaoran gave Nanami a polite smile. "I don't drink coffee,"

The young lady looked a bit startled. "B-but you have been doing so for the past years, sir,"

Sakura-Syaoran laughed nervously and the girl looked even more disturbed. "Well, I've stopped drinking just… er… last night,"

ooOOoo

When the sun has finally set, Sakura-Syaoran found herself with still a lot of work to do. To be truthful, she was getting quite absorbed in the job. If it weren't for the sudden ringing of the phone, she would've continued with her paperwork.

"Hello," she answered, still in Syaoran's manly voice.

"Get your ass back here," came an identical voice. "Or I'll drag it back here myself,"

"Ah, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura-Syaoran brightened up. "How's your fever?"

"Get back here. And stop using that happy voice. My voice sounds like some drunken drug addict's," Syaoran snapped. "Go home right away. Right now,"

"But I still have work to do," the Angel cried out—in a man's voice. It would've been okay if it were any other man's voice. But this was Syaoran's voice. And Syaoran's voice wasn't really made for crying out.

"I'll do it tomorrow," Syaoran grumbled. "Just get home right now or you're going to regret it. I'm serious!"

"_Hai, Hai_," Sakura-Syaoran glumly hung up. Just when she was starting to enjoy work after so many years… A/N: _Hai_ means "Yes" in Japanese.

She placed all the folders in the cabinet and then she proceeded to fix her things. For a moment, the girl considered changing back to her normal from but then she decided not to.

Since she didn't know how to drive, she decided to take a bus home. She was waiting in a bus stop patiently. The night air and the fairly silent street tempted her to think about things. She had about a week or so with Syaoran and she had approximately three weeks to go. This meant that she had to get her act together—fast. And if—

"Thank you for the dinner, Hiirigizawa-kun,"

Sakura-Syaoran's head snapped up at the voice. She turned around to see exactly who she expected. Daidouji Tomoyo in a black skirt and a crisp white blouse with her glorious black mane tied in a bun, was standing a few feet from her. She was… she was different. But somehow, she still had that feeling of familiarity that Sakura dearly missed about her. It has been too long. Too long.

The Angel could only watch as Eriol entered the scene. He looked every bit as handsome and wonderful as she remembered. Her eyes (actually Syaoran's) widened at his next words though.

"Sakura-san is important to each of us, but we have to move on. It's been years and—"

"I can't do this," Tomoyo whispered fiercely. "I can't do this. You're a great guy, Hiirigizawa-kun. In fact, I can't think of anyone whom I can compare to you. But please understand that just the fact that you and my best friend shared something intimate prevents me from doing so with you. I can't do that to Sakura,"

And as clichéd as it can get, the Daidouji spun on her heel and walked away. Meanwhile, Sakura's once prince charming stood rooted on the spot, cradling his forehead in his hands. The Angel, after witnessing everything, realized something.

She missed the bus.

ooOOoo

"Hey, hey. Something wrong?"

If Syaoran had been a normal guy and Sakura, a normal girl, then Syaoran would've been slapped in record time. The eligible bachelor opened the door to his flat to see a crying girl in his clothes. And _he_ had the nerve to ask if something was wrong.

Sakura didn't reply. Instead, she collapsed in his arms (which were unintentionally open at that time) and just cried. Syaoran didn't know what to do at the unexpected contact so he just awkwardly patted her back.

ooOOoo

"Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Syaoran asked her gently. They were now seated on the Li's couch and Sakura eased out of her corporate attire and replaced it with her usual white dress.

The girl sniffed. "I-I don't know, really."

"What?" Syaoran snapped. "You should know,"

"I…" she began. "I saw my best friend a while ago,"

"And?"

"She was with Eriol-kun," Sakura whispered.

"That prick you were dating?" Syaoran scoffed and crossed her arms over his chest. Sakura stiffened beside him.

"Don't call him that," she told him. "Eriol-kun was… out with Tomoyo-chan. On a date, I suppose. He was asking her to forget me."

"What?" the Li exploded. "He _is_ a prick, then!"

"I understand why he wanted that. He's always the rational one. Why would you hold on to something you know will never come back?"

"Did it bother you, that they were on a date?"

"…Somehow, I've always known that Eriol-kun thought of me as a sister. Only as a sister. He was affectionate and sweet but he would never do anything that he wouldn't do to his sister. In the back of my head, I've known, that he preferred Tomoyo-chan. She was always better than me,"

"Then why did he go out with you?" Syaoran growled.

"I guess he didn't know back then. He realized it only later. But Tomoyo-chan valued our friendship too much and she respects what's mine and I respect what's hers. Still… I know that they'll be good together. They'll be _perfect_ together." Sakura said with a small smile. "Even so… I can't seem to just let go. I can't ignore it. And it hurts a lot. Even though I already knew,"

"Did you really love him?"

"I don't know anymore. When I saw them, all I wanted to do was to hug them both. That was all. I guess I still want to be part of their lives, somehow, I want to be assured that I was still important. But is that really love?"

"Don't ask me. I don't even know the meaning of the word," Syaoran grumbled.

"But you have love, right? Your parents love you, your sisters love you. Even Meiling-san loves you,"

"They love me because I'm a boy. Because I'm the heir, that's why."

"I don't think that's true," Sakura reasoned. "They do—"

"They don't. Trust me." Syaoran locked gazes with the girl. Sakura smiled.

"I guess we're a couple of loveless fools, then?" The Angel rested her head on Syaoran's extended arm. Syaoran didn't seem to notice (or mind) about the sudden weight. Sakura didn't seem to notice that she was leaning on his arm either.

And so, for at least a while, the two loveless fools looked like they were actually in love.

_tsuzuku_

A/N: Here! A long chappie to make up for my long absence. School does this to me. o Hope you guy like it! Reviews will be greatly appreciated and also corrections (yes, I know my verb tenses are all jumbled up.) I haven't got the time to get this proofread, you see. I don't know when I'll be able to use the computer. . 

That said, I'll be leaving you with this chapter. 'Til the next one!


	11. Christmas

First of all, my notes: To be honest, I was thinking of completely abandoning this fic. I had planned the ending in my head already and I had a few paragraphs of it written but I had no idea how to bridge from my current chapter to that. I thought of rushing things, but that would ruin the gradual change I had in mind for Syaoran's character. After that, I just left it alone. I know that a lot of people have been leaving reviews asking for an update and if you are one of them, I thank you. It's the very reason why this chapter was written.

I realize that now, two years after the latest chapter was posted, I may have lost most of the readers of this story, but I want to finish it for myself and if anyone is still interested to read it, then that's great.

May this be my apology for making everyone wait and a present for the holidays.

--

CHAPTER 11: Christmas

Syaoran was getting used to her. He was used to waking up to the sound of food being prepared; he was used to the bright flowers that somehow made way to his house each morning; to the sudden feminine (and quite frankly, unwelcome) changes in his house. He wasn't surprised when he comes home and sees her donning an apron he had no idea he had and telling him that she accidentally spilled something on his something-important; he was used to talking to her about the most random of things—a dog he saw on the way home, the next door neighbor that hates it when she sings; he was open to phone calls from his mother, constantly asking about Sakura and when is the big day, and that usually makes way for other questions that Syaoran masterfully evades.

But the bottom line is, she's part of his life now.

--

After seeing Eriol and Tomoyo together, Sakura's decided to move on. It took her three nights and a couple of cups of hot chocolate to finally realize what move to make, but she'd rather for things to dawn on her late, than to not dawn on her at all. It was simple, wasn't it? They were alive and she was dead. Dead and alive people don't mix. Well, not in the way Sakura would've wanted.

After she decided on that, she told herself to focus more on Syaoran instead. She was making progress, at the very least. He was smiling more often, and cursed less. But the catch was, she was enjoying his company too much. Definitely too much.

--

"It's Christmas soon," Sakura said aloud, stealing a glance at her companion as they watched a Christmas-themed commercial. Syaoran grunted in reply. "Is there anything you'd want for Christmas?"

"I'd want my mother to stop calling," he muttered darkly. Though Sakura understood, since after the family dinner, his mother has been calling several times each day, asking how the couple has been and never forgetting to nag about marriage. There were also a few times when the elder Li asks Sakura out to girly outings, to which Sakura agreed to, once.

"She's excited," the cherry blossom giggled.

"Too excited if you ask me," his gaze traveled to the ring on Sakura's hand, glinting under the light of the room. Recently, he never saw her without it. "And so are you, I think."

For a moment, Sakura flushed and glanced from her ring to his smug look before saying, "Just in case any of your family comes by and checks. We can't have them acting all suspicious."

It was partly true, so Sakura felt slightly at ease. After her temporary removal of powers—Syaoran locked her up in the house that day, worried that something might happen to her (rather, something might happen because of her) without her powers. Sakura was more than eager to comply as she was still nursing the shock of Eriol and Tomoyo together. Syaoran came home with a bouquet of flowers and a large chocolate cake that night (for cheering up, he said)—she's been more strict of her actions, as she wants to help Syaoran earnestly.

"Well, if you say so it must be the truth." Syaoran teased.

"It is!" Sakura replied hotly.

"Well then, no need to get so worked up over it." Syaoran changed the channel. Then he turned back at her. "What about you? What do you want for Christmas?"

"I want a bubble blower."

"Pardon?" Syaoran raised his eyebrow.

"A bubble blower. It's this thing, that blows bubbles."

"I gathered that much, yes." He rolled his eyes. "What do you want with it?"

"Well, there's this little boy on the flat at the end of the hall, and he's paralyzed from the waist down. When I saw him watching the children playing with bubbles outside with that smile on his face, I thought that maybe a bubble blower might cheer him up!"

"You're the first person I've met who asks for a present to give someone else." Syaoran shook his head in disbelief and Sakura just looked at him innocently.

"But you know what would make me really happy?" the Angel asked, all bouncy.

"Do enlighten me," he drawled.

"Your smile."

They both stopped and for a moment, only the sound of the cheesy soap opera filled the room. Sakura realized what she just said and Syaoran wasn't quite sure he heard it right.

"W-well, that's a pretty easy gift, don't you think?" Syaoran told her.

"I'm… I'm easy to please." Sakura finally said.

"Do you want it now?"

"A-anytime you want."

The rest of the night was spent just watching television. Sakura didn't know how she did it, but somehow things were awkward all over again.

--

It was Sakura's seventeenth night. She didn't exactly sleep. She just sat on the couch, and looked around. A few weeks from now, she'd all leave this behind. Syaoran would hopefully live a life which didn't revolve around work, and was something more colorful than it was now. And Sakura, where did that leave her?

For starters, where would she live? Back in her old flat, with her lovely landlady. Although maybe she'd move out. That place housed too many memories. Too many painful things to remember. So maybe she'd move out to Yokohama. Or maybe someplace far from Tokyo entirely. Sakura knew she needed a brand new start.

As for her job, well she'd had several jobs for this year and practically has more practice in quitting more than anyone else. That was solved.

Oh, and Syaoran. She'd want to stay friends with Syaoran. To put it simply, she liked him.

--

Sakura was pleased when Syaoran agreed to let her have her way with his house. She decided to trash the monochromatic scheme entirely and maybe something a bit more subtle, like beige or maybe something strong like maroon. She spent the morning sketching her plans.

When she heard the phone ring, she waited for the machine to pick up. It could be Syaoran's mother and every time Sakura talks to her, she always promises to go to some party arranged by the elder Li.

After the sixth ring, the machine was supposed to pick up but the telephone kept on ringing. Slightly confused and all too wary, Sakura picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sakura-san," Hera's familiar voice greeted. "We have been tracking your progress and you've been doing very well."

"Oh. Thank you." The cherry blossom replied dazedly. She hadn't expected this, that's for sure.

"Since we are happy with the way things are going and the success of this mission is imminent, we will be sending a package concerning your life after this."

"Well, that's… that's great. Thank you so much."

"It will arrive promptly at Li Syaoran's doorstep at approximately three minutes. It is classified and should not be shown to anyone else." Hera's voice turned strict. "Please follow accordingly."

"Yes. Yes."

--

Syaoran was late. It was already past midnight. Sakura didn't mind, really. It's not like she was sleepy or had control over the young man's actions. But she was worried. He usually called her early to tell her he was going to be late. The cherry blossom fidgeted in Syaoran's couch, the television was on and some mindless crime drama.

When the doorbell rang, Sakura stood up immediately and rushed to the door. Staying home the entire day gave her nothing to do but look forward to Syaoran's return.

Once the wooden door opened, it revealed Syaoran, looking good in the suit and tie he put on this morning, carrying three white daisies and a winning smile.

"Merry Christmas," he said, his smile so genuine Sakura could feel her heart beat faster (which was absurd because she was dead). And really, who could blame her if she launched herself at him and hugged him tight?

_to be continued_


End file.
